The Pear in the Pie
by maidenpride
Summary: Set around S2E14 "All In" First half canon, then AU. A light holiday-themed piece focused on some missing scenes and details around the episode that got the Shandy train running. Reader participation is encouraged. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Here's my holiday special, I think this will be 6 chapter job. Takes place just before Season 2 Episode 14 (infamous All In). Just some thoughts on missing scenes from before, during, and after that episode. I'm trying to stick to canon here at least for the first few chapters, then it may go AU if inspiration directs me there. Also, I'm including a small amount of reader participation with this story, you have the opportunity to add a small element into the story. Check out the end of the chapter for details and instructions ;)

 **CH 1 :: Closeted Musings**

Andy walked out of his therapy session shaking his head. _What have I gotten myself into? And Provenza isn't even here to blame_.

"Dad!" Nicole shouted trying to catch up to him as we made his way down the stairs towards the parking lot.

He stopped and looked up, "Yeah?"

"You forgot the tickets," she said waving a white envelope in the air.

"Oh right," he shrugged and met her halfway back up the steps. "Thanks again Nicole, but if we catch a case the Captain, err Sharon, won't be able to spare us both to go the ballet."

"I know, I know, but try please. The boys would love to have you there, and we'd love to spend some more time getting to know Sharon." She was smiling widely at him and he felt his heart sink. He knew he couldn't say no to his little girl, but he knew he was getting himself in too deep.

"I'll try." He leaned in and gave her a quick hug, "I gotta get back. I'll call you."

"Okay, bye dad." She said as she walked in the opposite direction towards her car.

As he climbed back into his car he turned his phone back on checking for messages. It was Saturday morning, but criminals never stopped to observe the weekend. The team wasn't on call, but he also knew that meant little. He had two missed phone calls and five unread text messages.

 _Provenza: Hey are you still coming over? The Lakers game._

 _Provenza: Hello? Why aren't you picking up?_

 _Provenza: You better be with some broad right now!_

 _Provenza: Well now you have to get the pizza AND the beer!_

 _Sharon: Good morning! If you happen to have a free moment this weekend, I could use some help. No rush of course._

The message from Sharon brought a smile to his face and made him for a moment forget about how annoying Provenza could be, when his phone rang.

"What!?" He yelled not needing to look at the caller ID, knowing that it would be Provenza again.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?"

"I was busy ok. What is so god damn important? I got your texts, yes I'm still coming over and yes I'll get the pizza and the beer!" He shouted back again wanting to get off the phone so he could get back to Sharon's message.

"Well fine then, no need to shout."

"Ok, I'll see you in a few hours. Tip off isn't until one." He brought his voice down, but it was still full of annoyance. He didn't wait for a response and clicked "End." Andy went back to his text messages and began typing…

 _Sure I can swing by now if that works for you._ He looked up and erased it. _Of course I can stop by. What do you need?_ He looked up again, pausing and then erasing the message. Before he could continue he saw a bubble with (…) appear on the screen. She was writing to him.

 _Sharon: Are you typing an essay?_

 _Andy: Uh no, just slow at texting._

 _Sharon: Oh. Well I was just going to ask if you were free to swing by now. I know I said it was no rush, but…that may have changed._

Andy stared at his phone feeling intrigued by her remarks, they sounded quite flirtatious. They had loosened up with one another since Nicole's wedding, she had been more free in her touches with him and their conversations had become more personal.

 _Andy: Well, I was just finishing something up, but I'm free now. I can be there in say 15._

 _Sharon: Oh that would be great. The door is unlocked just come in._

 _Andy: Ok see you soon._

Andy put his phone back into his coat pocked and pulled out of his parking spot. He felt a smile forming on his face, knowing that he was going to see Sharon and hopefully spend some time with her was a welcomed surprise.

Fifteen minutes later, he was riding up the elevator to the eleventh floor. He gave a quick knock on her door before opening it.

"Sharon!" He called out.

"Ah, Andy. I'm in here." She shouted, it sounded like from her bedroom. Andy made his way down the hallway, her door was almost completely shut. He spoke through the crack in the door, "Sharon?"

"Yes, come in." She said. He slowly pushed the door open, never having been in her room before he was slow to move beyond the doorway. He looked around seeing her bed made and everything in its place. He turned away from the bed, still not seeing her. "Sharon, where are you?"

"Uh in here." Her voice sounded a bit hesitant.

He pushed the door of her closet open and found her laying on the ground with a few boxes strewn about the floor. He rushed down to her side, "Are you okay? What happened?" He pushed her hair away from her forehead and grabbed her hand.

"Yeah. I think I pulled something in my back and I couldn't get up." She said wincing as she tried to move up.

"How did you end up on the floor in the first place?" He asked, still holding her hand.

"Well, I was trying to get some of the Christmas decoration boxes down from the shelf and well they came crashing down and I fell back." She looked away from him a bit embarrassed at her current situation.

"Is this what you wanted me to come help you with?" She nodded at him. "Why didn't you wait?"

"Well I love the holidays and I was feeling anxious and excited about getting the house decorated - you know before the inevitable roll-out for a case. So I thought I would just get these light boxes and get started while I waited to hear back from you." She rambled as she continued to avert her eyes from his dark gaze.

"Sharon, I wish you had just waited for me. I'm always happy to help you know that."

"I know." She said in a soft voice, "Can you try and help me up?"

Andy put his arm around her shoulders and lifted her into a sitting position. She let out a sharp "Ow" from the movement.

"How long have you been on the floor?" He asked worried she had been like this for an hour.

"Not long. Don't worry I wasn't here all morning," She said giving him a knowing look. When she met his eyes she saw the concern and suddenly felt the warmth between them - his hand was still holding hers and the other was wrapped around her.

"Do you think you could stand up?" He asked, sensing that she was feeling a little uncomfortable with their close proximity. She nodded and he let go of her hand, putting his arms under her armpits, "On three, one…two…three." He lifted her up and she let out another "Ow." He let her stand there leaning against him for a moment as she steady herself. He felt his body responding to her perfume and how close his hands were to her breasts. "You okay?" He asked slowly pulling his arms away. "Yes. Thank you."

They moved out of her closet, "Let me get you some ice and advil for you back, otherwise you're going to really feel it tomorrow." He rushed out of the room trying to put some distance between them, he thought for a second that she had a look of hurt in her eyes as he moved away from her. Sharon crawled into bed and repositioned the pillows against the headboard to put herself in a more comfortable position as she waited for Andy to return.

"Here you go." He handed her a glass of water and two pills. She took them and smiled up, "Thank you Andy."

"Of course. Here's some ice for your back. We'll alternate ice and heat - Do you have a heating pad?" He immediately froze catching the _we_ he just said hoping she didn't call any attention to it.

"Uh yes…" She paused, "In that drawer." She pointed to her nightstand on the other side of the bed.

Andy opened the drawer and saw the blue heating pad lying on top and pulled it out. As he was about to close the drawer he spotted a recognizable box of Trojans and bottle of lube. He smiled inwardly for a moment seeing that she was prepared, but it immediately fade when he wondered who was using the condoms. He hadn't seen her with anyone, but knew she was intensely private and would never say anything to him. Andy didn't think she was the type for a one-night stand though. _Maybe they're for the ex_. He thought as he walked around to where she was laying and plugged in the heating pad. He seriously hoped she wasn't still letting that asshole into her bed, but he knew he couldn't completely blame her if she had. He and the ex had fallen into bed a few times early on in their separation. _Maybe it's an old box, full of expired ones_.

"Here you go," he handed her the heating pad. "Once the ice numbs you up, why don't you lay on this for awhile."

She smiled up at him and grabbed his hand as he turned away, "Thank you again Andy." She winced again as she moved against the ice. "Can you go to my medicine cabinet a get the bottle of baclofen?"

"Sure." He said walking into her bathroom. It felt odd to be poking through her things even if she had asked him to do it. He quickly found the bottle and brought it back to her.

"I usually prefer natural remedies, but I occasionally get back spasms and with our job we know criminals don't stop so we can rest…" She was rambling again.

"Sharon, you don't have to explain it to me." He knew she wasn't the type to fall into addiction over pain pills. He read over the label when he was in the bathroom, it was a six month old Rx and she had only used 3 of the 12 tablets that had been prescribed. He handed her the glass of water as she took the pill.

"So where's Rusty?" He asked settling gently on the bed beside her.

"OH, he's off at some chess practice with the team today. I guess they have some tournament coming up after the holidays. In his words, 'they need the practice.'" She smirked as she spoke.

"Never one to sugar coat, is he?" He said smiling back at her. She let out a small chuckle followed by an "Ow."

"Are you interested in some good gossip?" He asked changing the subject.

"Hmm, well I am, but I'm not sure I should hear it." She said with a cheshire cat grin on her face.

He waited to see if she would actually protest, but he knew that she wouldn't. They enjoyed their private conversations together, over the last few months they had grown to see each other as partners within the larger team and not just colleagues. They often shared banter and gossip over a salad in the break room.

"Well it would seem that Provenza has a new lady friend in his life…" He said suggestively.

Her eyes went big, "Oh is that so, and how do you know this?"

"Simple, every other time he's started dating someone he trades up his wardrobe. Did you see what he was wearing yesterday? Definitely a woman." Andy was trying to sound serious, but he found the whole thing entertaining.

She started laughing, "Ooo Don't make me laugh Andy!" She choked out between giggles and pain.

He stayed sitting beside her talking for awhile longer before she finally drifted off from the medicine. He turned down the heating pad and got off the bed, careful not to jostle her awake. As he began to back out of the room, he decided to go back into the closet and get out the Christmas boxes for her. He was sure that she had a specific location for everything in these boxes, but wanted to help. Carrying the boxes to the living room, he began opening them up and felt excited to see her garland and ribbons on top. He knew he wasn't great at decorating, his wrapping was proof of that, but nonetheless he got a wild-hair and decided to start pulling things out.

Two hours had passed when his phone began buzzing. He answered it, but spoke softly not wanting to wake Sharon up in the next room, "Hello?"

"Where on earth are you?"

He shook his head, he should have checked the screen before answering, "I'm busy. What do you want?"

"What do I want? The game starts in 10 minutes. There's no pizza or beer. When are you planning on gracing us with your presence!" Provenza shouted into the phone.

Andy walked towards the hallway and back at the decorations he was messing with and made a quick decision, "About that, I'm not going to be able to make it. I'll call in the pizza and have it delivered. On me."

"Fine, but it's not like they deliver beer you know!"

"Yeah Yeah, I know you still have some in the fridge from the other night old man." He said waving his arms, feeling his blood pressure rise. He wasn't sure what it was about Provenza that made them stay friends when he riled him up so much.

"So you're not coming then?"

"No, I just said I was busy. Something came up and I can't make it." Again he didn't wait for a response, he was tired of listening to him complain so he hung up. Andy walked into the kitchen and filled the tea pot up with water. He rummaged through the cabinets finding two mugs and some Earl Grey tea. A few minutes later he walked into her bedroom with the steaming hot tea. She was still asleep. The look on her face was so peaceful, he thought he could stare at her for hours. He set the mug of tea down next to her and walked back out of the room. After finishing his own tea and decorations he decided it was time to go. He knew she could be asleep for another few hours and Rusty would be home soon to look after her. There was no reason why he should stay and continue playing house with her. He went to pull a pen out of his pocket to leave her a note when he came across the tickets Nicole had given him. Suddenly he felt an overwhelming sensation of guilt. He was lying to his family, to himself, and maybe even to her. It was time to hit a meeting. Deciding against leaving a note, he sent her a quick text and walked out of the condo.

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You have 24 hours to "vote" and you can only pick one option, one vote allowed.

Reader participation: Sharon thanks Andy for helping her A) with baked goods taken to his house personally B) inviting him over for dinner C) by calling him later that night after Rusty goes to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks to all who voted and reviewed. I think it's a fun idea too! I won't spoil which idea won out, so read on and find out what your next options are!

 **CH 2 :: Homemade Holidays**

Sharon woke up to the smell of tea and warmth. Her cheeks felt rosy. The bag of ice Andy brought earlier had more or less turned into water. She noticed that heating pad was still on, but that it had been turned down to low. Leaning over she grabbed the cup of tea which was now lukewarm and smiled into it as she took a sip. The meds she took earlier had kicked in and she was no longer feeling the spasms, but she was noticeably stiff from her stint on the floor. The clock on the nightstand showed that it was now 1:30 and she knew Rusty would be home soon. She gingerly sat up and moved off the bed, careful to not move too quickly and cause her back to act up again. With the heating pad turned off, the bag of ice water in one hand and the cup of tea in the other she headed out into the living room in search of Andy. She didn't ask him to stay, but she thought - rather hoped - that maybe he had. She felt bad about falling asleep during their conversation earlier, it was so nice just spending time with him away from the office.

As she turned the corner, she dropped the bag of ice water on the floor, "Oh my!" she exclaimed at the sight of her living room. "Andy?!" she yelled out, but got no response. She thought about picking up the bag off the floor, not wanting it to leak, but decided to leave it be until Rusty got home - not wanting to chance bending over. Sharon moved towards the kitchen still looking for Andy, but noticed that his coat was gone and there was no sign of him. _Well he clearly kept himself occupied while I was passed out,_ she mused.

Sharon took a moment to take in the room, now that the initial shock had worn off she felt a warmth fill her heart. It wasn't how she would decorate of course, but it was still lovely. She chuckled as she saw how he draped the garland at the base of the TV and tied ribbons on the legs of her desk. There were candles on the coffee table laid out next to her Christmas books. Sitting on the couch she picked up _The Night Before Christmas_ and began flipping through the pages. She pulled the book up to her chest and felt overwhelmed by his actions today. _Sure he came and helped me off the floor, but this why all this?_

She wiped the tears that had formed and threatened to fall. _Perhaps one member of my squad does have a sense of occasion after all_. She set the book back down and eased herself back off the couch and headed into the kitchen. While the microwave reheated her tea she walked back to the bedroom to get her phone, she wanted Rusty to swing by the market on his way home. There were two missed messages:

 _Rusty: Chess club is almost over, but I'm going out with Jake for burgers before I come home._

 _Andy: Decided to let you get your beauty sleep without me pestering you. I hope your back is feeling better. Call me if you need anything, I mean it._

She smiled at her phone, seeing the messages from her boys. _My boys, did I just say that! Ugh!_ Pulling the message app up she replied back to Rusty:

 _Sharon: That's fine. Can you swing by the market and pick up some eggs, turkey bacon, cinnamon, and jam?_

Sitting and thinking about her reply to Andy she heard the timer ding and she moved back to the kitchen still holding her phone. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say to him, a simple thank you via text didn't seem wholly appropriate for all his help today. Then an idea popped into her head and she knew just what would work.

XXXXXX

Andy arrived at St. Margaret's for an AA meeting. It wasn't entirely fair to say that he felt like drinking after spending time with Sharon, but rather that everything felt too right, too comfortable and it frightened him. Andy knew from past experience how quickly and easily he could fuck something up, and this was definitely something that he didn't want to mess up. He didn't know what _it_ was, but knew it was too important. He set his phone to vibrate and sat down, he didn't plan on speaking today. Some days he felt like talking, others were listening days - important reminders that other people were dealing with bigger things. It helped him forget about himself for an hour, how to process the things that were going on in his life.

A blond woman in her early 30s got up, "My name is Vanessa and I'm an alcoholic…" Andy pulled the envelope with tickets out of his pocket, holding onto it as he stared down at it while listening to the woman's story. Part of him really wanted to ask Sharon to go to the ballet, based on the art work in her house and things they've talked about it seemed like something she would really enjoy. Also, she had been so encouraging of him rebuilding things with his daughter that he knew she would be supportive and willing to go if for nothing else than being there for him, as a friend. On the other hand he was worried what his family might say to her, how they might expect them to act together.

The woman finished her story and sat back down. As the meeting continued, Andy spun the envelope around in his hands, feeling less settled than he did when he walked in. An hour later the meeting ended and he got up to get a cup of coffee when a man approached him.

"Something weighing on your mind?" The stranger asked.

"Uh, oh, yeah."

"Is it making you want to drink?"

"No, no. It's just I've dug myself into a little bit of a hole with a little white lie. I could easily get myself out of it, but I guess I've realized I don't want it to be a lie - I want it to be true." The words spilled from Andy's mouth, he wasn't intending on talking tonight but his heart had a different agenda.

The stranger nodded his head, "I'm familiar with that kind of situation. So what are you going to do about it?"

Andy put the envelope back into his pocket, "Not sure yet. I have a few more days to decide. Maybe pray for some divine intervention," he said looking skyward and give a light chuckle.

"Well if he responds, let me know I've got some things to sort out with him myself!" They both laughed and moved away from the coffee, "Well good luck and don't let it get to you, whatever it is it isn't worth your sobriety."

Andy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, thanks."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Rusty arrived back to the condo he found Sharon napping on the couch, the house decorated, and the kitchen counter full of recipe books. This wasn't their first Christmas together, but even if it was Rusty knew better - the decorations seemed a bit chaotic for Sharon's usual taste. He took a few minutes to put the groceries away and to figure out what Sharon was planning on cooking, she wasn't big into the whole using the kitchen for cooking thing - _Unless she's making her Christmas cookies!_ Rusty felt himself get a little excited at the thought. Sharon didn't allow much in the way of junk food in the house, but she had a weakness for holiday cookies he chalked it up to her overwhelming sense of occasion. Seeing the kettle on the stove he filled it up with more water and turned the burner on to make her some tea. The whistling steam was terribly loud, Rusty quickly pulled it off the stove and poured a cup of fresh chamomile tea.

Leaning down next to Sharon, her eyes opened, "Rusty, you're home." Her voice was soft and sleepy. She was grateful for the pain relief, but hated how the medicine made her feel so groggy and out of it.

"Yeah, I saw your message and made the market run. I just finished putting everything away. It looks like you've been busy." Rusty gestured to the room, causing Sharon to let out a little chuckle.

"It would seem that Andy's decorating skills are a bit like his wrapping skills, but I appreciated the thought." Rusty sensed a wistfulness in her voice as she spoke and was surprised that she wasn't angry or frustrated at the lack of perfection in the room.

"Hmm, well it is certainly interesting," Rusty tried to leave out a snide remark, but couldn't help the sarcasm. Sharon gave him a glare and he quickly changed the subject by handing her a mug of tea.

She took a sip of the warm fluid and smiled, "That's twice today that I've woken up to a cup of tea. Thank you."

Rusty gave her a quizzical look, but knew there was no point asking she was fiercely private about her personal life, "So what's with all the recipe books. Planning on cooking? Or perhaps baking?" His eyes grew hopeful and voice persuasive as he spoke.

"Mmm, yes actually. I wanted to bake a batch of snickerdoodles to take to the office. You know they're my favorite." Rusty nodded as he listened. She stood up and headed to the kitchen, "But I've hurt my back and I don't think I can mix the dough on my own. Care to lend a hand?" She turned around and nearly bumped into Rusty as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Uh sure Sharon. I'd be happy to help - if I get to keep some cookies for myself." He replied with a mischievous grin.

"Well the recipe will make two dozen, so you can keep six for yourself," she saw Rusty start to argue, "ah ah any arguing and you'll get no cookies." She turned around with a smile. It was moments like this that made her feel like Rusty was finally starting to heal, and feel like a regular kid.

"Okay, you have a deal. You always get your way don't you?" He said as he grabbed the eggs from the fridge.

"That's the general idea yes. Okay can you get the sugar jar and the butter?" The two worked in tandem for awhile, as Sharon dictated the steps while Rusty went through the motions. After the batter was mixed they rolled the dough into small balls and dipped them in cinnamon sugar before putting them on the cookie tray.

"Are you sure 24 cookies, er well I guess it'll be 18 will be enough for the guys? I feel like they'll be gone in two minutes!" Rusty inquired as he bent down to the oven and pushed the trays in.

"Yes I'm sure this is how many I want to make. Can you grab the tin from the cabinet and some wax paper? I want to box them up when we're done." She pointed up to the cabinet above the fridge where she kept her festive collection of holiday tins.

"Alright, well I'm going to work on some homework until these are done. Holler when you need me to take them out." He waved back to her as he walked down the hall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sharon woke up Sunday morning feeling a little achy, but no worse for the wear considering her morning on her closet floor. She went up to the roof for a morning swim, hoping that doing some laps in water might help loosen up her stiff muscles. She didn't have time for a long workout this morning, she had some important errands after church. A large smile appeared on her face when she thought about how she planned to spend her morning. _As long as we don't get called out today, it'll be a lovely day._

Across town, Andy woke up feeling exhausted. He spent most of the night tossing and turning. After attending three meetings he went to Lemonade for a fresh salad and home to catch the highlights from the Lakers game. His text message didn't get a reply the previous afternoon, but he wasn't really expecting one. He knew that kind of medicine can really knock you out, one of the reasons he personally avoided anything that made him feel like that since giving up booze. All of it was a slippery slope for an addict. He spent most of the night waiting and contemplating whether to call, or text, or just wait until Monday when they went back to work. Finally, the deafening silence of the house ate away at him, his resolve faded.

 _Andy: Just checking that you're okay? No more getting acquainted with your floor? :)_

He wasn't expecting a response, and was surprised to see the infamous (…) bubble appear on the screen.

 _Sharon: Much better thank you for your help today, and no as much as I appreciate my closet I'm happier in my bed._

There was a pause for several minutes while Andy thought about what write back to her in response. Before he got a chance she replied again.

 _Sharon: Well I'm getting that sleep feeling again. I'm glad for the meds but hate the side effects. Night!_

 _Andy: Sleep well. Night. - A_

He missed his chance and felt disappointed that he wasn't going to get a chance to talk to her tonight. After his meetings he really wanted to hear the sound of her voice, it was so comforting there was some magic in her presence that just made him want to be a better man and when she was gone he felt a pang of emptiness. _Great, I'm falling for the boss_.

Andy checked his messages before getting into the shower, hoping a cold shower might wake him up and push away some of inappropriate thoughts his subconscious was enjoying during his fitful sleep.

The phone rang causing him to jump out of the shower, it could be a case, or one of his kids, or Sharon. He was a bit paranoid about not having his phone with him these days. He didn't want his kids to think he wasn't reachable, that he was ignoring them and not serious about staying in touch. He knew it was silly to think they would give up working on their relationship together just because he didn't answer the phone once, but everything with them felt like it existed on a precarious ledge.

"Hey sweetheart. What's up?" He tried to cover up the rushed sound from his voice.

"Dad, am I interrupting something?" Her voice sounded a bit too playful and with a definite hint that made Andy roll his eyes.

"No, I just got out of the shower when I heard you ring. What's up?" Trying to change the subject away from her subtle "uh huh" grumbles.

"I know we said we would all try and do dinner before the show on Thursday, but I'm going to have to ask for a raincheck. I just found out the boys have to be there at 5 and Dean is working on a big project at work and will only just make it to the show. So I'm on step mom duty! I'm so sorry."

Andy was taken aback by her sincerity, it sounded as though she was actually looking forward to seeing him. "Don't worry about it kiddo, let me know if you need any help with the boys. I look forward to seeing them." For once he was glad it wasn't him calling to cancel something.

"Don't you mean _we_ Dad?" She added playfully.

"Right, well I haven't had a chance to ask her yet. We had the game yesterday with the guys." Andy knew it was a lie and hated himself for saying it, but he couldn't tell her he spent the afternoon with Sharon and didn't ask her about going to the ballet. _This is definitely going to end in a spectacular fire ball of hate and discontent._

He heard a loud bang followed by arguing, "Dad I gotta go the boys are at it again."

"OK, see you in a few days!" Nicole hung up and Andy set his phone down. When the door bell rang. He wrapped the towel around his waist and pulled a white undershirt on as he ran for the door, muttering curse words and Provenza's name loudly. "Can't a guy have a lazy Sunday?!" He exclaimed as he swung the door open expecting to see a grumpy old man, pissed at him for bailing yesterday and was shocked at the person standing before him.

"Oh, sorry. Uh I should have called first. I didn't mean to interrupt." Sharon muttered moving away from the door.

"No Sharon, I thought it was Provenza." He pleaded with her.

"Well I just came by to give you these," she handed him the red tin, "just a thank you for yesterday. For _everything_." The last word was spoken softly and she looked him in the eye as she spoke. Andy took the tin from her and she started to move away again.

"Sharon wait, please come in. Have a cup of coffee or tea." He held the door open wide hoping she would accept the invitation. She didn't move away, but didn't come in either. "Are you sure, it seems I am interrupting something." Her eyes glanced down to the towel around his waist and back up at his wet hair.

"I just got out of the shower, why don't you come in and have a seat and I'll get dressed. Then we can have some coffee. Okay?" His eyes pleading with her to not leave, he wanted her to stay.

"Okay, just for a minute though." She moved into the house and he closed the door behind her. He gestured towards the couch, "Wait here, I'll be right back." She nodded and he slowly backed away almost afraid of spooking her. Once he got to his room he got dressed faster than he ever thought possible, faster than that time when he and his high school girlfriend Jenny got caught in her bedroom by her mom.

Sharon looked around his house, she had only been over twice before and she was still surprised by the surroundings. She expected it to be more of bachelor pad, but it was actually well decorated, definitely a man's touch but it was nice. She sat on the couch and shoved her hands in her pockets, an anxious reflex. She looked up and saw him walk in wearing blue jeans and a grey button up shirt that was left half unbuttoned. She had seen him in casual wear before during stakeouts and undercover jobs, but here like this - alone together - she felt warmth rising in her cheeks again. _There's no denying he's attractive_.

Andy thought he caught a look of oogling in her eyes when he walked in, but her expression was quickly schooled and he was left wondering what that was all about. "So what's in the tin?"

Sharon moved off the couch and walked towards where Andy was standing in the kitchen, "Well Rusty and I decided to kick off the holiday season by baking some cookies last night. And I, uh, well I wanted to do something to say thank you for yesterday."

Andy opened the lid and saw a stack of snickerdoodle cookies, "Well now I'm going to have to make some coffee to go with these cookies! Thanks Sharon, I love," he took a bite, "these."

Sharon smiled, "You're welcome."

Andy turned the Nespresso machine on and grabbed two mugs from the cabinet. "I'm grateful, but Sharon you really didn't have to go through all the trouble. I know your back was bothering you."

"Oh no, it was great actually. Rusty helped and we spent some time together. It was nice." She looked down feeling a bit embarrassed about her excitement over bonding with Rusty.

Andy walked over to her, sensing this and pulled her in for a small hug, "In that case I'm grateful and glad." She looked up at him and they stared at each other until the coffee machine dinged drawing them both out of the moment. They had shared a few close moments together in the past, but they both found the rush of emotions confusing. The enjoyed being close, but it had an awkwardness to it that neither knew how to handle. Andy moved away from her and placed the mugs under the machine to brew the Espresso. "Can you get the milk from the fridge?" He asked figuring she would appreciate having a task to do, to break the awkward feeling that swamped the room.

Several minutes later they sat together on the bar stools sipping their cappuccinos and eating cookies in silence. Andy was the first to break it, "You know I was happy to help, right?"

She looked up at him, "I know." Her eyes continued to speak to him as they stared at each other, until once again it felt uncomfortable. "But, I felt that your decorating efforts deserved to be rewarded." She said with a smirk.

"OH right, about that. I'm sorry I know I probably just caused you more work and not less by trying to help out. I just thought with your back and sense of occasion that you might like to have the place all done up. So I just started opening boxes and pulling stuff out and…" Sharon finally interrupted is nervous rambling by placing a cookie to his lips. He took a bite allowing her to speak.

"Andy, it's okay. Really. I appreciate the thought and the help. I don't want to change a thing." She said with a grin.

Andy looked at her curiously, "Are you sure? I wouldn't be offended if you did."

She laughed, "No I'm sure. It is uniquely you, but I like it." He smiled back and bowed his head towards his mug. _Just ask her you fool. It's easy. Sharon would you like to go to the ballet with me on Thursday?_ Before he could say anything her phone began to ring, "Sorry, it's Ricky." He nodded as she answered.

Andy took their mugs and cleared up the crumbs from their cookie snack while she and Ricky talked. Everything about the last half an hour felt so comfortable, enjoying coffee, chatting and hanging out together all of it felt so so so _Like home_. It was an odd thought since he was in his home, but it was the only thing he could think of to describe the warmth radiating through his whole body. He was pulled out of his thoughts when she hung up, "Sorry, but I have to get going. You remember what it's like having teenagers?!"

 _Not really_ he thought to himself. He smiled, "No problem. I understand. Thanks again for the cookies. I'll see you tomorrow."

He walked her to the door and waved goodbye. When he saw her pull away he finally closed the door and the house suddenly felt infinitely empty. He plopped down on the couch turning on the TV to watch some football when his phone rang, he felt his heart fill thinking that it was her calling him. In an instant it fell when he saw Provenza's name, "What?!"

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Previous Round: A - 11, B - 8, C - 5

Rules: 1 vote, 24 hours after the story posts votes will be tallied.

Reader Participation: It's always bugged me that the show seemed to suggest that Andy didn't already know all about her kids and that Emily was a ballerina. I know she's private but I feel like that would have come up at some point in the past five years...It also bugs me that her kids didn't show up for Xmas during Season 1 or 2. So you have two things to vote on here:

Andy yells back at Provenza that he knows all about her kids and what they do. He found out A1) During Nicole's wedding B1) During the Closer Living Proof Christmas Dinner C1) During a supportive coffee 'date' venting about Rusty

Sharon is upset that she won't see her kids for Christmas (again). Emily is in the Nutcracker at must work but Ricky A2) spending time with a girlfriend/family B2) going to NYC to see Emily C2) visiting Jack/Jack's family


	3. Chapter 3

AN:Lucky you, I was able to finish this today while nursing both the dog and the man to health - all hail flu shots! Thanks for R&R (pun intended).

**For the purposes of this story Clay died not Willie Rae. Also, it's where I got the title from, in part...**

 **CH 3: The Pear in the Pie**

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The loud ring jarred her out of her sleep, "Captain Raydor."

"Ah yes Captain. The team has been rolled out. A body found in the water hazard at a high end golf course. Looks like foul play, body was weighted down."

"Mmm, certainly sounds like the disposal was deliberate. Do we have a cause of death?"

"Kendall says his head was bashed in, the body is off to Morales now."

"Ok, call me if you need anything otherwise I'll meet you at the morgue in a few hours."

She hung up with Provenza and leaned over to glance at the clock, 1:30am. _Why can't crimes happen between 8am-5pm_ , she mused. She had only been asleep for three hours and she knew it was going to be a long day. First her back, then Ricky, and now an early morning case this was definitely going to be a three cup day.

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When Sharon arrived at the morgue a few hours later she was greeted by all three of her Lieutenants which was a bit unusual. Generally, she got prelims with just one of them usually Andy.

"Gentlemen." She said taking a long sip of her coffee.

"Good Morning Captain, we're just waiting for Morales to come out, but we've already uncovered a few interesting things…" Lt Tao began, too cheerfully for her like at this early hour but he was thankfully interrupted from launching into a long-winded discussion by the illustrious corner.

She could shake the feeling that something was wrong with Andy. It wasn't his usual brand of crankiness that he was expressing this morning, it seemed like he was really annoyed but it had nothing to do with the case. She gave a look to Provenza, but he gave it a light shake it seemed neither of them knew what was irritating Andy. Her concerns continued as she began to come out of her lack of sleep fog, thanks to her third cup of coffee. _Time to switch over to tea_ she thought to herself.

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Sharon came out of her office looking for an update on their olympic size suspect pool, but discovered her team was nowhere to be found. _They should have gotten back from the notification an hour ago._ She popped her head into electronics, but it was empty as well. As she made her way towards the break room she heard laughter, she opened the door to find her team all gathered around the table. They looked up surprised at the noise of a door closing to find their Captain standing in the break room.

Tao was the first one to break the awkward silence, "Uh Hello Captain."

"Lieutenant" she replied curtly, "care to explain why you're all in here and I'm standing in an empty murder room without any updates on our case?"

"Well you see Captain," Flynn said walking around the group, "we got a package in the mail today and it said perishable on it." His voice was dripping with his usual charm.

Provenza stood up, "Willy Rae, er um, I mean the Chief's mom, er…"

"She sent us a pie for the holidays!" Exclaimed Sykes who had never met the woman, but was very excited over the prospect of homemade pie.

"I see." The captain respond moving towards her team, taking a look at the half eaten pie.

"Would you like a slice, ma'am." Asked Detective Sanchez as he and the rest of the room tried to get a read on their Captain's mood. She had been snippy with them the last few days, they figured it was about the ex-husband and holidays, but they weren't sure. No one had been brave enough to ask.

Sharon surveyed the faces of her team and realized they looked panic stricken. She had been in a foul mood and now saw she was clearly letting it get the best of her. "Just a small piece Detective," she said with a small smile. "What kind is it?"

Sykes replied quickly as she continued to dig in, "It's pear! I've never had it before, but it is quite delicious!"

Flynn grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the table for her to sit as Sanchez handed her a slice. Sharon looked up at Andy and gave him a nod of thanks as she sat down.

The group finally began to relax and return to their conversation when Sykes interrupted them all with her revelation, "Oh, I just got it. Pear pie, it's like the holiday song partridge in a pear tree! Ha ha!" Provenza glared, "Yes Sykes, how astute of you." The group chuckled and once again returned to their individual conversations.

Sharon took a small bite of the pie and let out a low moan as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the delicious taste. The sound wasn't very loud and in fact it seemed that no one besides Andy had even heard it, "I take it you like pie, Captain."

She opened her eyes in surprise, "Um yes Lieutenant I'm a sucker for homemade baked goods, but especially pies and tarts. My mother makes a wonderful peach cobbler every Christmas that is to die for." Her faced turned sad for just a moment, long enough for Andy to see the change.

"That sounds wonderful. I miss the things my mother and grandmother used to bake as well, so it is a nice treat with Mrs. Johnson sends us care packages." He said pointing at the now empty pie dish. The team began cleaning up the mess from the pie.

Sharon continued eating her pie, "Mmm, I can see that. It's nice that she still thinks of all of you even though Brenda has moved on."

Andy turned his chair a little to face Sharon, "Yeah, I think since Clay died, she just likes to keep herself busy with baking, grand kids, and anything else she can get involved in."

Sykes began washing off the knife and wiping down the counters while Buzz broke down the pie box to fit into the trash can. One by one the team exited the break room, knowing that the reason the Captain came in there in the first place was to get an update on the status of "Limpy."

"So why the foul mood Captain, have you misplaced your sense of occasion?" He said with a little chuckle.

"My kids," Sharon started but her voice broke and Andy's face turned somber.

"Hey," he said softly reaching for her hand "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

She looked up realizing that he thought something horrible had happened, "Nothing bad, sorry didn't mean to frighten you. It's just I'm missing Christmas with them again."

"Oh Sharon, I'm sorry to hear that. I know Emily must be working, but I guess I just figured that Ricky would be coming down this year." His thumb continued to brush her knuckles trying to provide some solace, he knew from personal experience how hard it was to miss out on seeing your kids during the holidays.

"Yeah she is, but I'm so proud of her and glad that she's working as you know it is hard business. The call I got yesterday, when I stopped by, that was Ricky calling to tell me that he has been invited to his girlfriend's parents house for the holidays. They've only been going out for six months, but he really likes her and wants to spend time with her over the holidays." Her voice was no longer shaky, but he could still hear the sadness in her tone.

"Well you can't blame a guy for trying to spend more time with his gal," he replied with a smirk, "But I certainly know what you're going through. Any chance you'll get to him after Christmas?"

She smiled at his first remark, "Normally yes, but he made plans to go to New York and see Emily since she won't get a break until after New Years…"

Andy interrupted her when he realized where this was going, "And you can't go because of Rusty's security detail." Sharon nodded as he continued, "Does Rusty know all this?"

"No!" She said sharply pulling her hand away a she pointed at him, "And you can't mention it to him, he already feels awful about the whole letter situation as it is. I'm not sure what he would do if he knew the real reason why I wasn't going to see my kids for the holidays."

He shook his hand, "No Sharon, I won't say anything to him, I promise." He paused for a minute before continuing, "Thank you."

"For what?" She looked bewildered.

"For letting me in, for telling me what was bothering you. A year ago you wouldn't have done that." His voice was low and serious, but also vulnerable.

"Oh," she said softly, "Well a year ago we weren't really friends were we?"

Andy absent-mindedly wiped the table of crumbs, "And are we…friends I mean?"

"Of course we are." She said with a large smile too which he returned feeling a wave of relief.

They sat quietly together for several more minutes as she finished eating her pie. Sharon wasn't sure if she should prod Andy about his own behavior this morning, but thought that maybe he would be open to sharing with her after her own admission, "And what about you? Why are you out-of-sorts today?"

Andy was caught off-guard, he figured she would catch on to his behavior quickly but hadn't expected her to ask him about it, "Oh that sorry if it's causing a problem with the case."

This time she took his hand, "No Andy, it's not that I'm just worried about you."

He looked into her eyes and saw the soft, genuine look of compassion and he knew that he needed to tell her what was going on, "Well actually my daughter…"

"Captain, I think we have a lead," Sykes chimed happily as she swung open the door not realizing what she was interrupting. Sharon quickly pulled back her hand and stood up, just now realizing how closely they had been sitting together. Andy stood as well not sure whether to silently curse or thank Sykes for barging in.

"We'll be right there, thank you." Sharon replied to which Sykes nodded and returned to the murder room.

She moved put her plate into the trash, when Andy offered his hand, "Here let me take that." She nodded, "Thank you." Sharon grabbed the napkins from the table and moved towards the counter when she bumped into Andy who was turning around, "Sorry" they both exclaimed. They tried to move out of one another's way and continued running into each other. Andy grabbed Sharon by the shoulders and moved himself to one side allowing her to pass. Sharon felt herself suddenly go warm by the proximity. When Andy removed his hands from her shoulders with a small chuckle, at the awkwardness of the moment, she found herself missing his touch. She quickly shook her head and let out a nervous laugh, hoping he didn't notice the warm blush she felt spreading up her face.

"I thought we danced better than this at Nicole's wedding," he said in a rambly sort of way.

She smiled in response, thinking about that evening. "Maybe we have no rhythm without music," She mused back.

Andy made his way towards the door, but before he opened it he turned back to her, "Funny I don't think we would have any problems with our rhythm." Her mouth dropped at his suggestive flirtation but before she could respond the door closed behind him. Looking around she noticed that the room was now empty, and found herself grateful for the moment of privacy she was being given. Smoothing out her blouse she decided to pour herself a cup of coffee, she didn't need the caffeine but felt the need to have her hands occupied before she faced them, well faced him again.

Sharon took a deep breath and walked back into the murder room, "Okay, where are we?"

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Results: A near tie for Ricky having a love life and visiting his sister - so I gave you both. As for the knowing what Emily does when he does, I will leave that reveal for the next chapter this post got too long to dive into that bit just yet. But a thank you to all who did vote. A reprieve for the next round. That said feel free to share your thoughts and ideas, you never know when it might make it into the story!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Thanks for all the holiday love folks. Here's the latest installment, it's a bit long winded because I had to go through the whole All-In episode, but the next chapter will be all original and start to move us into AU territory.

 **CH 4: Captain, My Captain**

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"What's gotten into you?" Provenza growled at his partner as they pulled out of the victim's driveway and made their way back to PAB.

"Nothing," Flynn growled back.

"Well clearly it isn't nothing. So instead of playing this game for the rest of the day why don't you tell me what the bee has flown up your ass so I can get back to my crossword puzzle." Provenza was annoyed and Flynn could tell he wasn't going to drop it. His outburst at the Deets' home when they arrested the wife had been too much to go unnoticed by his partner.

"Well if you must know it's my ex, she's got all these crazy ideas she keeps fillings the kids heads with…"

"Your ex, that's what _all this_ is about," Provenza said sweeping his hands in the air, "Why didn't you just say so. I tell ya your one ex is no match for wife #3 now she was crazy." Andy listened to him drone on for the rest of the car ride. In part it was his hope that if he started the conversation with 'my ex' the old man would just run with it and he would avoid the embarrassment of what was really plaguing him. Looking at the clock in the car as they pulled into the parking garage he sighed, _Three days, one hour, and fourteen minutes - this is all going to explode in my face._

An hour later he had no idea that things were going to start spiraling out of control with his audible outburst to the team. _Dammit why do I get myself into these situations. Therapy really? I had to tell everyone that I'm seeing a psychiatrist perfect!_ Sharon gave him a quick look of concern as she had been doing since their trip to the morgue, but had to turn her attention to the more pressing matters of Rusty and the oh-so-helpful DDA Rios. _Thank heavens for small favors, for once he wasn't the one in hot water_. However, Andy hadn't expected Provenza to call him out on it, well at least not immediately. It was time to fess up before he had another more vocal outburst about his love for the Captain. _Crap, did I say love - this is getting bad real quick._

"Hey! Hey! What the hell is up with you?" Provenza muttered in a low tone.

"Nothing," he knew he wasn't going to buy it again, "Alright look I'm seeing a counselor because I'm trying to make things up with my family. And while I was doing that I sorta lied to my ex-wife."

"Why would you lie to your ex?"

"I dunno, force of habit. Alright, uh, after I brought Sharon to Nicole's wedding, everybody started asking about her, so maybe I let my ex think I was a little closer to Sharon than I really am. And now my whole family wants me to bring Sharon…"

"Stop calling her that!"

"What that's her name?! What!"

As he had expected, the minute he opened his mouth the whole damn house of cards came flying out of his mouth. _Word vomit._ He couldn't stop himself and now this case, it was really getting to him. He sat back down at couldn't help but continue to stare into Sharon's office. _The guy was just trying to do right by his family, even if he was mucking the whole thing up_. He finally turned around, getting back to the financials of this case hoping that there would be a reason for him to get out of this office, the walls felt like they were closing in and making him feel more anxious. _How is that we had such a lovely time with pie earlier this morning and by the afternoon I'm inches from a breakdown._ He opened his drawer and pulled out the stress ball to give it a squeeze, worried that his blood pressure was going to cause him another fainting episode _Wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake?_ As he went to close the drawer he caught sight of another little red item - a bean bag. He pulled it out and held it for a moment. He let his mind drift back to that day. He had always found her sexy as hell, he knew she was a great cop (even if he didn't want to admit it aloud), but he and frankly the whole team came to respect her that day. For his part, he had a pang of concern when he saw her moving to approach the suspect. His hands were busy cuffing the female suspect, there wouldn't be time for him to reach his gun and do anything. At the time he was surprised by the feeling, they had shared conversations about kids and the job over the years, but nothing more. Why he would have any emotional feeling about her doing her duty was beyond him - he decided to shove it off as concern for a fellow officer, he'd have felt the same if it was the Chief or Tao or anyone else. _Except it wasn't_. He put the precious moment back in the drawer and squeezed away at his ball as he poured through the spreadsheets.

When Sharon came out of her office several minutes later, she wanted to confront Andy once more about what was bothering him but the arrival of a potential suspect had derailed those plans. Once again a case was taking precedence over her personal life, she knew it was the job and for the most part she was fine with it, but on days like today it pissed her off. She was used to going first, and getting what she wanted when she wanted it. She didn't appreciate having to wait. Andy on the other hand had a look of relief when the suspect was ushered down the hall by Sykes and Sanchez, this was neither the time nor the place to _even think_ about addressing the envelope situation. When he felt her hand reach out and briefly touch his shoulder he thought he might melt if it wasn't their combined motion to the electronics room. _She is going to be the death of me_ was all he could think as they sat and watched the interview together.

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BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Andy reached over and turned off his alarm, wiping his face in one fluid motion. It was 5:30 and he had only managed to get about four hours of sleep. Between the confession, not-confession of "Limpy" and the images of a flaming envelope in his coat pocket he hadn't gotten much opportunity to rest. It was Wednesday, he was running out of time. The show was less than two days a way, and he knew he couldn't try to pretend nothing was wrong and push through the day again. Provenza hadn't pushed him about the situation again, but Andy knew if he didn't get his act together quickly his partner would do it for him and that would without a doubt lead to a catastrophic collapse of the whole house of cards he'd carefully constructed.

As he rode the elevator up to the ninth floor he heard his phone chirp

 _Nicole:_ _Are you and Sharon driving together? I'm picking up parking passes this afternoon._

Andy put his phone back into his pocket and his head into his hands. _This is it, I'm officially living in a nightmare that I can't wake up from._ As he rounded the corner with the case files he heard Provenza on the phone, he could tell it was the Captain. _Stick to the case, just stay focused on that and it'll be okay._

"I don't know if Limpy has an alibi, but he has no mobility. Guy can't even drive his own car, much less the victim's."

"But our victim was small, if he rolled him up in that big drop cloth like contractors use…"

"He re-did all their homes, though anyone of them could have dragged the poor guy in a golf cart. Even Limpy…"

He knew sticking to the case wasn't going to work the minute Provenza reached for the files he had been clutching, almost like a security blanket afraid to let go.

"Look, um Nicole's two little step sons are going to be in the Nutcracker tomorrow night. You know the Christmas ballet, I was talking about? The music is famous and some of the dancers are professionals."

"I'm not going." He said lunging again for the files Andy was holding onto.

"Oh God no, no I'm not asking you. Look I was wondering because Nicole is kinda expecting me to bring her, if I ask the Captain to come with me tomorrow do you think she would take it the wrong way?

"Probably not. But if you have an extra ticket who you should really bring along is your psychiatrist. So he could ask you what the hell are you thinking?! Now is that our suspect's financials? May I see them please?"

Andy finally relinquished the files feeling thoroughly annoyed at his partner, it wasn't that he was expecting his full support, or even god-forbid a cheerful attitude, but not this flippant response. _Did he not get how important it is to me to fix this with my kids?_ He muttered to himself as he walked back into the murder room.

An hour later his phone chirped again,

 _Nicole: Dad? Number of cars, please?_

He sighed, figuring that no matter what it would only be one car he felt it was safe to give her a response.

 _Andy: One_. _On a case, sorry for the delay_.

He hated not being more responsive with her, he didn't want her thinking he was ignoring her, but he really didn't want to answer her. He was grateful to have some quiet space while Sharon and Sanchez worked on busting Limpy's alibi and Tao and Provenza reviewed the Vegas film. _Maybe I could just flee the country. Move to Canada or something_.

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The team reconvened after lunch and Andy felt the heavy weight of the envelope again. One way or another he knew he needed to do something about it today. He found himself pacing outside of her office anxiously, wishing for everyone to just go away for a few minutes so he could talk to her alone. He thought if maybe he sat and talked with her he could explain the situation in away that made sense and just maybe she'd be willing to help, again, like she did at the wedding. To be his buffer. _Yeah that just might work._ He caught her glance through the blinds, he saw that she was concerned about him which just made him feel worse.

Sharon had intended to call or at least reach out to Andy last night to discuss whatever it was that was bothering him, but this latest development in the ongoing Beck-Rios saga thwarted all her plans. Rusty was in a broody mood and while she wanted to talk to him about the whole psych eval, he was far from approachable last night. This morning hadn't been much better, but it needed to happen, as was often the case with parenting and dealing with teenagers in general it was best to just rip off the band-aid. With one crisis temporarily averted she turned her direction back to Andy, she hoped that maybe he had spoken with Provenza and while they weren't close they were on much better terms than a year ago.

"What's wrong with Andy? Is he depressed?" She asked never taking her eyes off the man pacing the space in front of her office.

"No, he's depressing, believe me there is no crisis."

She didn't fully believe what Provenza was saying, she knew there was more to the story and that he just didn't want to share it. Once again she had to turn her focus back to the case as Tao walked in with new information on Techy/Scammy, but a part of her mind couldn't shake the worry she felt about Andy. They had grown close, and she wished that he would be more willing to confide in her. _When we get a free moment, I'll reach out again maybe he'll be more receptive after we close this case_. She could see the case was continuing to bug him, but her gut said there was definitely more to it.

She wasn't surprised when Provenza finally excused himself to speak with Andy, who had not given up his vigil outside her door. She wanted to try and read their lips, she could tell by the way they were waving their arms it was a bit heated. She was a bit surprised when they both looked at her and she nearly excused herself from their interview to go out there, before she caught herself.

"Look I'm running out of time and I gotta get this Nutcracker thing settled by tomorrow night."

"If you don't want to admit that you've let your family think the wrong thing about the Captain, just tell them work came up."

"No, No, No, then I won't see them. And I want, I want to spend time with my daughter and my son is going to be there too. And maybe just maybe they'll invite me to spend Christmas with them this year instead of just having me drive by after dinner. And the Nutcracker is famous the Captain might like it."

"Flynn, the Captain's daughter is a dancer in the American Ballet Theater. She has probably seen the Nutcracker a thousand times."

"I know that! Don't you think I know that? I just meant that she loves the holidays and that's a holiday show and she might like to come - with - me." He said looking down at his shoes feeling embarrassed to say it out loud.

"Alright look I'll go with you and I'll pretend that Sharon is too busy to come. How about that?"

"Yeah, right. That's probably better anyway. Ok thanks."

He tried to walk away from her door after their conversation, but he couldn't pull himself away she had a magnetizing presence. Despite Provenza's offer, he didn't feel settled. Yes, it would allow him to spend time with his family and maybe get an invite for Christmas and give him a chance to put this whole Sharon thing to bed but he realized that wasn't the problem. Provenza continued to glare at him forcing him to finally sit down and stare at his computer. He knew there was plenty of work to be done, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything. He felt glued at his revelations.

Moments later her office door flung open and she was asking the team to gather in front of the murder board. She had an idea what happened to the money, and that as is usually the case the money would lead them to the murderer. They went over their parts in the unveiling before they returned to the victim's home.

Sharon hoped to ride with Andy, to finally get that moment alone but it seemed that Provenza had something else in mind. She ended up with Tao, whom she liked and certainly respected but had a way of droning on about facts and stats that made her even lose interest. She knew, especially after the heated discussion outside her office that Provenza knew exactly what was bothering Andy and that he wanted to keep her away from it. _Why is that?_ She wondered. She wasn't sure if it was him being territorial over his friendship with Andy, or if really he didn't trust her after all. _Oh God, his heart!_ The last time they kept something this big from her it was about his fainting episodes and high blood pressure. She hadn't realized that she let out a gasp at the thought until Tao responded

"I know Captain, that's exactly how I reacted when I learned about blood spatter analysis." He continued to talk and she nodded her head realizing she hadn't been paying attention to anything the Lt was saying. She felt bad, but at the moment she couldn't help but be focused on another Lt.

When they arrived, the money reveal had gone as expected. Sharon had suspected that the wife was heavily involved, but couldn't be sure whether she had committed the crime on her own or not. What she hadn't been prepared for was Andy's reaction to the whole situation. She knew the case might have hit a little close to home, family and the holidays were familiar triggers for him as she had observed over the years - but this went beyond just the basics. As much as she wanted to run after him, she knew her place was here in the living room with the rest of the team. She gave a nod of approval for Provenza to go after him, knowing that Andy needed someone and if at the moment it couldn't be her then it might as well be his partner. _At least one of us knows what's going on with him_.

When she finally left the house and returned to the station she wasn't surprised that her two Lieutenants had arrived before the rest of the team. Andy looked like he had calmed down from his earlier outburst, but was still clearly upset. She walked into her office intending to just set her things down and return to the team when her phone rang.

"Hi Em!"

"Mom, I'm so glad I caught you. Rusty mentioned you were working late tonight."

"Yeah we just finished up the case, time for all the paperwork."

She heard her daughter laugh on the other end, "Oh but mom you love paperwork!"

"Ha, right. So to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just finished up dress rehearsal and you'll never guess what happened?!"

"What?!"

"Well, Anastasia has unfortunately come down with a stomach bug and won't be able to perform tomorrow night, sooooo I get to play the Sugar Plum Fairy!"

Sharon let out a loud squeal that brought the attention of her team, who quickly returned to their forms when they saw her smile and waving arms. "Oh honey that is so amazing, I'm so happy and proud of you."

"Thanks mom. This is such a wonderful opportunity and if it goes well, who know what it might mean for next season!"

"That's wonderful. I'm really sorry I won't be there to see it."

"Me too, but hey I'll try to get Dave to film it and send you a video."

"Aw thank you sweetheart, that would be great. Listen I better get back to this stack of paperwork otherwise I'll be here until midnight and I shouldn't leave Rusty home alone that late."

"I understand, never know what kind of trouble a teenager can get themselves into when mom works late," she said with a mischievous laughter.

"Oh I know, I did raise two already…bye honey congrats again and I love you!"

Sharon picked up the folder in front of her and began reviewing the details before she got two the third paragraph a knock came to her door.

"Come in." She didn't need to look up to know it was most likely Flynn.

Andy looked back at Provenza who was muttering to himself, but he didn't care he knew this was the right thing to do. He needed to at least ask her to come with him. One lie to his kids had gotten him here, but he wasn't going to lie to them and pretend like he didn't ask Sharon and make up some story that she couldn't make it. As much as he wanted things to work out between him and Sharon, his kids came first and deep down he knew she would more than understand.

"Sorry to interrupt. I need a favor." He asked as he closed her door.

"Oh what kind of favor." That wasn't exactly what she was expecting to hear, but figured the request might be revealing.

"Well it's costing a fortune for Nicole to send her two little step sons to ballet class and she has no idea if these two little boys are getting anything out of it. Tomorrow night they're both in a little bit of the Nutcracker."

"Oh how exciting for them." She definitely felt an air of suspicious in the tale he was weaving, but wasn't ready to call him on it yet.

Andy continued, "Yeah but Nicole, was looking for an objective person who knows a little something about dance to tell her if she's wasting her money on all these leotards. And I just realized that could be you."

"I'm hardly an expert." It wasn't that she wasn't interested in going to the ballet or even spending time with Andy and his family, but this felt like a ruse if she had ever heard one.

"That's not what it sounded like when you told me all those stories about taking Emily to ballet class. How that Christmas she was disappointed that she couldn't go skiing because she was had try outs for the ABT and couldn't risk injury. Besides you're certainly better than Provenza."

Sharon thought back to that Christmas they spent together, well it wasn't spent with colleagues and the Chief's parents but it ended up being nice. Well more than nice if she was going to be truthful, she and Andy sat together and enjoyed comfortable conversation all evening. She was a bit surprised, but grateful they could set aside some of their mutual spite for the holidays.

She chuckled, "Oh I see. Andy I'll go with you regardless, but would you like to tell me what's really going on here?"

A surprised look appeared on his face, he was hoping she would say yes but hadn't considered that she actually would. He knew he should come clean right now with her, she gave him an opening but couldn't bring himself to do it. "Uh no, not really. I'll pick you up at six. I'll take you to dinner of course, for all the trouble."

"It's no trouble. I'll see you then." Sharon knew she was signing up for something without all the facts, but she was willing to give him a little bit a rope. To be honest it sounded like fun, and given that she was missing her daughter's own performance tomorrow, seeing the little one's would at least be something.

Andy walked out of her office feeling like he was on cloud nine. It was a date, dinner and a show. Well a show with his family involved and he supposed it couldn't count as a date if she didn't know it was one. Nonetheless he was going to get to spend an entire evening with her on his arm and he was elated. Even the mountain of forms he needed to finish couldn't bring him down. He could see Provenza out of the corner of his eye going pale, he knew he was giving his partner a mini-stroke by going down this path with the Captain, but he knew he would kick himself for the rest of his life if he didn't pursue her. _Not to try and make sure this does go up in a ball of flames._

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Results: The ballet revelation during Living Proof won out by a landslide. Thanks for the votes.

Reader participation: Which unexpected visitor will make an appearance at the ballet A) Gavin B) Brenda w/ Fritz C) Jack w/ lady friend.

As always if you have any other thoughts (positive ones) please share, you never know when it might make an appearance in the story!


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Once again thanks for the votes and encouragement. One person mentioned how brave it is to let the readers have involvement in the story, and I must say at first I was nervous but I'm really enjoying it. There's something freeing about not having to "pick" which path to go down. Due to the very narrow results I decided to split the Nutcracker chapters into 2 parts (pt 1 dinner, pt 2 the show). Your votes went towards this first part, and I must say I was quite inspired and also found it funny how many people wanted this to go angsty.

AN2: I've added chapter labels, not something I'm known to do but I like it. In part it happened because I love the original Hepburn/Tracey film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and wanted to use it, so thus all the chapters needed some kind of tag.

 **CH 5 :: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner**

There were four dresses laying on the bed, a pile of shoes on the floor, and grumbling coming from the closet. Sharon stood in front of her floor length mirror, attached the back of the closet door holding up another dress glaring in frustration over what to wear. She was normally quiet decisive when it came to wardrobe selections, but this occasion seemed to be throwing her for a loop. Accustomed to the appropriate attire for the ballet she knew what she should wear, but that wasn't helping her decide what she _wanted_ to wear, in part because she didn't know the real reason she was going. Suddenly her phone chimed with a FaceTime alert,

"Hi Mom!" Emily yelled as her mom answered the phone.

 _Oh shoot, I was going to call her before her big performance_ , "Hi honey! You look so beautiful." Emily was in full costume and make-up preparing for her first appearance as the Sugar Plum Fairy. "I wish I could be there with you."

Emily was practically bouncing up and down in her dressing room, "Me too Mom. I'm so excited I can barely contain it, I'm all fidgety!"

Sharon chuckled in response, "I can imagine." She moved out of her closet and moved some of the dresses off her bed, so she could sit and talk to her daughter for a moment.

"Mom, why are there stacks of dresses on your bed? Purging your closet again?" Emily asked pointing to the dresses she could see behind her mother.

"Ah, um, no. I'm trying to pick something to wear tonight, and it would seem I'm hitting a wall." She looked behind her at the stack of dresses she had already pulled, again feeling annoyed that she couldn't just pick something.

"For tonight? Where are you going? Or should I be asking who are you going with?" Emily snickered, enjoying poking her mom a little bit.

"You'll never guess," she paused, "I'm going to see the Nutcracker tonight."

Emily laughed, "Are you for real?"

Sharon laughed at the absurdity of it, "Yes, it would seem so. I'm going as a favor for a, um, friend."

"A friend? This wouldn't be the same friend that took you to a wedding a few months ago, would it?"

Sharon's eyes went wide for a moment, before she schooled her expression, "Yes, well Andy, er Lt. Flynn, did invite me. I think I told you that his daughter has two step-sons. Turns out they are in ballet and are in a little bit of the Nutcracker tonight. He asked if I would come along and give his daughter some dance mom advice."

"Mmm, hmmm, right…advice. So why are you having such a hard time picking out an outfit if you're just doing a favor for a friend?"

Sharon let out an annoyed sigh, "I'm his boss, I just want to make sure it is something appropriate. I don't want anyone getting the wrong ideas."

"At what _idea_ would that be, mom?" Emily gave a light chuckle, but could see the torn look on her mom's face and decided to forgo the ribbing, "Well why don't you let me help you?"

Sharon looked up at her, "I can't ask you to do that, you need to get ready."

Emily shook her head, "No, current call isn't for another 10 minutes, besides this will be a nice distraction for my nerves."

Sharon let out a small hum, "Okay." She got off the bed and began holding up the options to review with her daughter.

"That one would be perfect with your red heels and that silver and onyx necklace you got from grandma last Christmas."

"Emily, are you sure? Red heels? That sounds a bit much." Sharon shook her head in doubt over her daughter's recommendation. "I think my black heels would be just fine."

"I'll leave it up to you, I gotta run. Have fun and call me tomorrow with all the details!"

"What details, this is not a date." The minute Sharon said it wasn't a date she knew she was lying. This was a lot closer to a date than she cared to admit.

"Oh you know, how the boys did - one dancer to another of course. Bye mom love you!" Emily spoke with a mischievous grin.

"Bye love you too and good luck!" Sharon blew a kiss before hanging up. Picking up the dress she walked to the shower, Andy would be there in an hour to pick her up and she was nowhere near ready.

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Andy rode up the elevator towards Sharon's condo, holding flowers in one hand and picking imaginary lint of his suit with the other. He tried several suits on before settling on this grey suit with a black button up shirt and a red tie. It seemed festive, but not gaudy. The red and white tulips that the florist tied with an a silver bow was initially meant to be a thank you for helping him, but as he got closer to her door the more he began regretting the purchase. Andy worried that maybe she would think that he thought this was a date, after all bringing flowers before meeting for dinner was a very date like thing to do. He fiddled with them in his hand as he rang the bell.

"Coming." He heard from behind the door.

He took a deep breath before she opened the door and his jaw dropped, thankful for that last gulp of air because he had forgotten how to breathe the moment he saw her. Sharon was wearing a charcoal grey cocktail dress by Monique Lhullier that hit just above the knee. The sequins covering the grey tulle danced as she moved. The capped sleeves perfectly accented her beautiful posture and her legs were lengthened by the red heels she was wearing. It was an outfit unlike anything he had seen her wear before. She looked stunning when she showed up to Nicole's wedding, but with her hair up in a tasteful bun and her necklace setting off her lean neck she was breath taking.

Sharon felt Andy's eyes on her and she blushed, she knew she was fit for a woman of her age - attractive even - but she rarely allowed herself to entertain the notion that someone could find her a beautiful as he seemed to at that moment.

"Are those for me?" She asked, trying to encourage him into the condo and to start breathing again.

Andy looked down at the flowers, "Um yes, sorry. These are for you."

Sharon smiled and took them from him, "Thank you Andy, they're lovely and quite festive."

"You're welcome, I'm glad you like them." He said, finally feeling the blood return to his brain as he closed the door behind him.

"Actually, I really like tulips, so thank you. Let me just put these in some water and we can get going." She spoke as she turned and walked towards the kitchen giving Andy his first opportunity to see the back of her dress which exposed part of her back. Her skin looked creamy and supple, he wanted to reach out and touch her skin feeling himself growing interested in her again he began chanting baseball stats in his mind. When she returned to the kitchen she grabbed her coat, but Andy took it from her offering to help her into it, "Thank you," she said looking up at him and smiling.

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"So where are we going to for dinner?" She asked trying to break the silence. It wasn't that it felt awkward to be sitting alone in the car with Andy, but she felt the need to keep occupied so she wouldn't keep staring at him.

"La Boheme, in West Hollywood. It's only about 10 minutes away from the Dolby Theatre where the performance will be. Have you been?"

She smiled and gave a little chuckle as she replied, "No not recently, you might imagine with Rusty's diet I rarely get to see the inside of a nice restaurant these days."

The brought out a deep laughter of appreciation, he had noticed the boys eating habits on a frequent basis leaving little room for anything but burgers and pizza, "Oh yeah, right. Well it's a great place nice ambiance, you know not too noisy, but the food is definitely pretty good. Right now, they have a special dish of pumpkin ravioli which is to die for.

"You certainly get out a lot don't you?" She didn't mean for that to sound so accusatory, but before she could clarify it Andy responded. "Nah, I just enjoy good food, but don't really like cooking just for myself, so I try and find the good places to eat in town. You never know when a case will take you nearby." He recognized the tone, and knew what she meant by getting out - the truth was he hadn't dated anyone really since last fall. He didn't want to date anyone…else that is.

She hummed in response and the quiet returned. Even though the restaurant was only a few miles from her condo it was still rush hour and on the surface streets that meant it could take another 20 minutes to get there. She looked out the window staring at the lights and Christmas decorations that the local shops had put up and smiled, she loved this time of year.

Andy turned to her with his goofy big grin, "Thanks again for coming with me tonight Sharon, you don't know how much this means to me."

She smiled up at him, "I think I do Andy, and I'm happy to come."

"Well as I've said before I owe you one, so name it anything you need you let me know and consider it done."

She hummed again and gave it some thought. "I believe you owe me two."

He smiled back, "Ah right you haven't cashed in from the wedding yet. I stand corrected, two favors - I'm at your service."

Sharon decided that she was going to cash in on one of those right now. "Andy," he turned to look at her as they stopped at another red light, "do me a favor," he smiled clearly surprised that she would use one of those right now, "Sure" he said.

She took a deep breath before asking, she wanted the answer but she was worried to hear it, "Please tell me the real reason you were so upset during our last case, the real reason you wanted me to come with you to the ballet tonight. You're my friend and I can see you were hurting, and I don't like knowing that you can't or won't come to me."

Andy clutched the steering wheel tightly, he should have guessed that she would ask again - she wasn't one to let things slide. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, but he was horrified of her reaction.

Taking a deep breath he began, "Well you see, as you heard I've been going to therapy recently. You know to help get things to go better with my kids. Thank you by the way for the suggestion. Well this last case just reminded me of how sometimes a father can go so far to try and make things right with his family and that it isn't appreciated or it gets all fouled up. Anyways, I guess it's frustrating that I try and try with my kids and everything is still my fault. I mean I get it, I messed up big time, but since I've been sober I've been there trying to make up for it. At some point if they want to move on an have a relationship they have to forgive me. SO I guess this Deets guy just reminded me of all that. I'm sorry."

Sharon was more than relieved to hear Andy finally give some explanation into his behavior earlier this week, "Oh Andy, I get it. Forgiveness is a hard thing to achieve, many people say they forgive but they don't actually let go of the baggage and move on. I'm sorry this case hit home with you. But why couldn't you just tell me?"

He shrugged his shoulders knowing he didn't have a good answer for her, "Well, I guess I didn't want you to think I couldn't do my job because of it, or something."

Sharon reached over the center console and placed a hand on his arm in reassurance, "I would never doubt that Andy, even when you were drinking I know you were trying to give your job 100%. I will never doubt your ability to do your job."

He patted her hand, "Thank you Sharon, I really appreciate it."

They sat in silence for a moment before she pressed on for the rest of the answer, "So what was all the ballet stuff about then? Surely that would have made you happy that your daughter invited you to come."

"Oh," he let out softly, hoping she had forgotten about that part, "Well uh, yes I am happy to get to spend time with both my kids tonight and glad that she invited me to do something with the rest of the family. I guess it's hard when my ex will be there with her husband, she always tries to make me look bad with the kids. It's like it is a constant competition, and now now she's put crazy ideas in their heads and…" he felt his blood pressure rising just thinking about his ex that he didn't realize he had shared more than he intended.

Now Sharon was concerned, "What kind of crazy ideas? Not that you're drinking again I hope!"

Andy waved his hands in response, "No, no not that. Just I don't know crazy ideas, my ex she's nuts I tell you."

Sensing that he was protesting too much she pushed him, "Andy what kind of crazy ideas?"

He paused and looked at her, "Promise that you won't get mad, I mean I didn't do it she did."

"Andy," she paused and pulled her face into a tight expression concerned about what was coming next, "mad about what? I think you need to tell me the _real_ reason I'm going to this event with you." _Not that I don't already have some idea_.

"Well uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "She got it into her head that you and I were like a couple and she told the kids that we were dating. And Nicole loved talking to you at the wedding and she asked me to bring you to the ballet tonight to spend time with the family."

She put her head into her hands, she wasn't surprised in fact she had suspected that after their slow dancing escapades at the wedding that someone was bound to get the wrong idea, but she still found herself reeling at the thought, "So your family thinks we are together? And are expecting us to act like we are together, tonight?"

"Uh, um, yes I guess so." He kept his eyes focused on the road.

"Andy, when did you find this out?"

"Um, on Saturday during our therapy session, before uh, before I came over to help you off the floor. That's why I didn't pick up when you sent me the note, I was with them."

"I see, and you didn't think to mention it to me then?" She felt herself getting upset.

"Well you were in pain and then on those meds, I didn't want to bring it up. And then you came over and we had such a nice time talking that I didn't want to ruin it, but then we caught the case. I'm sorry I didn't mean to hide it from you, but I just didn't know what to say. I was hoping to find a work around."

Now she was upset, "A workaround what do you mean? I can't believe you were going to let me walk into that situation without knowing what they thought about me, about us!"

"I'm sorry, truly. I was going to bring Provenza, well I mean he offered to come and say you were busy to get me out of this situation with the family."

"And why am I here and he isn't? Never mind that why didn't you just tell your family that we aren't a couple, we aren't even dating?!"

He pulled into the restaurant parking lot, there was one car in front of him at the valet line, "He isn't here because I wanted you to be here. I didn't correct my family, because honestly I couldn't." She stared at him trying to figure out what he was saying, "While we aren't together, it would be a lie that I don't want that." His voice was so soft she almost didn't hear him.

"You, you, uh, want to be with me?" She choked out in a quietly stunned voice.

He nodded and in a low voice said, "Yes Sharon." He finally looked up at her and she saw the truth and affection in his eyes. She was used to the look of desire he would occasionally throw her way, but this was different and she knew what he was saying was honest.

"But I'm married," she let out as a low squawk. Before he could respond her door opened and the valet let her out of the car. Andy handed the man his keys and walked around to the front of the car waiting for the tag. Sharon stood back waiting, taking the moment to herself to process what just happened.

"Sharon, we don't have to go in. You don't even have to come with me to the ballet. It's okay, I'll tell them tonight."

She shook her head, she couldn't speak just yet but she knew that wasn't what she wanted either. He offered his arm and she took it as the walked up the steps to the restaurant. The maitre de walked them to their booth as she took in the beauty of the decor. The lights were low and there were large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the room wasn't large and it felt very private - intimate almost. The booths were separated from one another by large curtains and comfortably sat two people in a way that everything else seemed to disappear. They slid into the booth and took the menus as they listened to the night's specials.

"Sharon, really if you're not comfortable I can take you back home, it's okay. I know I screwed up."

"Andy, I want to stay, I promise. Let's just order and try and enjoy the rest of evening, ok?" She asked as she placed her hand atop his and gave a squeeze of encouragement. The anger and hurt she felt a few minutes ago in the car was gone, and she was spinning from his confession. It wasn't as though she hadn't thought it herself, felt it really. She sensed some chemistry between them, but wasn't willing to confront it. If she was honest with herself, it was mostly because she didn't think he really felt that way. She felt the lust, but wasn't sure if he saw her more than just a conquest. She had had flings during her twenty year separation, a few sadly and annoyingly with Jack when her defenses were down, but now that she had Rusty she found herself no longer interested in a one time tryst. In fact, she had mostly decided to throw herself back into parenting and put off that aspect of her life, she was fine being alone - she knew how to be Sharon. Being Sharon plus someone else was foreign and frightening.

They made an unspoken mutual agreement not to discuss the issue any further and just enjoy each's others company. As Andy said the food was divine and she was beginning to regret the request to order dessert. She wasn't going to have any, but Andy began raving about their peach cobbler (perhaps remembering their early conversation about her weakness for her mother's) and she gave in.

As the two sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the music being played, waiting for their dessert to arrive Andy spotted someone's arrival and his face went pale. _It can't be, no it can't be._ The man turned to face his date and confirmed it for Andy, it was Jack with some tall red head who looked to be his daughter's age. He tried to pull himself together by taking a large drink of water and bringing up the Dodgers, but he could tell Sharon wasn't going to buy it.

"Andy, what is it? What's the matter? You look like you've just seen a ghost." She asked moving closer to him in the booth.

"Uh, well I guess you can say that. I haven't seen him in awhile and certainly didn't expect to see him here, tonight. I thought he was out of town." He felt himself getting rambly as he often did when he was anxious.

"Andy who is it?" Sharon asked again.

"Um, well…I'm not sure I should tell you." He said once again taking a large drink of water.

"Andy." Her voice was stern and had taken on her former IA tone.

He leaned into her and spoke softly not wanting to look her in the eyes, "It's Jack."

He heard her take in a deep breath, she hated being taken by surprise and especially by him. This night was going to try her every patience, she wasn't sure if she could deal with her estranged husband this evening on top of everything else. "Andy is he alone?"

He looked up at her and she knew even before he spoke that Jack never went anywhere alone, "No Sharon, he's not. I'm sorry. This whole evening is all my fault. I think I can sneak you out the back if you want."

She shook her head, "No, maybe he won't notice us. I'm sure he'll be too distracted by whomever he's with to look around the room."

Andy wanted to agree with her, but was concerned what Jack would do if he saw Sharon, but if he saw her with him. They used to be old drinking buddies and Andy was sure that Jack was the type that saw it perfectly natural for him to be with other women, but that it would be entirely unacceptable for his wife to do the same. "Ok, if that's what you want." He rubbed her hand with his thumb trying to bring some reassurance.

She nodded in response, hoping that the dessert would come soon and that they would be able to make a quick exit after Jack was seated. She didn't want to have to walk passed him as his hands were full with another woman's breasts. Andy looked up and noticed the hostess walking in their direction with Jack and his lady friend in tow. "They're coming this way."

Sharon suddenly found herself flustered, she knew very well that Jack stepped out on their marriage long before they were separated and dated lots of women since but she had always been lucky enough not to have it shoved in her face. Her heart began to race and she felt fidgety. Andy looked at her struggling to think of what he could do to help her, to distract her. When he noticed that the hostess was headed to the booth past them he knew he needed to act fast, Jack would walk right by their booth and he couldn't take the chance of him seeing her there - she would be mortified.

He timed the woman's steps as he heard Jack's cackling laughter, Three…Two…One. He grabbed Sharon by the neck and pulled her into a deep and passionate kiss just as Jack walked by. Andy made sure she was turned and hidden behind his back, so she wouldn't be seen. He could tell she was surprised by his boldness and initially tried to push him away, not understanding what he was doing. Andy felt himself distracted by the softness of her lips and the small hairs hanging down her neck - too small to be pinned into her bun. He was surprised himself when she felt her hand reach up to his chest and grab ahold of his lapels and deepen the kiss.

Their waiter came by and dropped off the cobbler, unbeknownst to the couple as their kissing continued. When all the air had been pushed out of their lungs and into their bodies they finally pulled apart. Eyes closed. Lips swollen. His hand moving down her neck to her shoulder. She let go of his lapels, but kept her hands on his chest, feeling the thump of his heart. Their foreheads came together, still afraid to look at one another - worried that it might break some spell that had been cast over them. They didn't speak as they finally moved away from each other. He handed her a spoon and they shared the dessert in silence.

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Results: Gavin 6, Brenda/Fritz 4, Jack 7

Reader Participation: After the show does our duo A) go for a walk together B) out for a nonalcoholic nightcap C) go for hot cocoa w/ Nicole Dean and the little boys to celebrate

AN: I heard everyone who raved about missing Gavin, so do I and I may answer your prayers and have him make a surprise appearance anyways! The kissing/distraction scene was inspired by an episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries where Jack kisses Phyrne to keep her from blowing their cover to a mad man.


	6. Chapter 6

Apologies for the formatting issues earlier, lots of upload issues today.

AN:Well we've finally made it to the ballet! Ironically, I'm getting ready myself to go see the Nutcracker tomorrow night so I've really enjoyed writing this chapter, listening to the music, and what not. There are at least two big surprises in this chapter, one of which I think several readers will be super excited about. Thanks again for all your votes, it really is fun to watch them come in and figure out where I'm going to take these two. Merry Christmas, I hope you have all enjoyed my written gift!

AN2: This chapter tag comes from the name of one of the movements from the actual ballet. I do recommend listening to the music while you read it, as I did while writing it.

 **CH 6 :: The Magic Spell Begins**

The ride to the theater was quiet. Both were still reeling from what transpired moments earlier at the restaurant. Sharon felt like her head was spinning and she couldn't find a spot across the room to stare. First Andy's lie or rather omission, then Jack with his latest bimbo, and then the kiss. _That kiss_. She sighed deeply, it was beyond surprising. If they had been in a film she was convinced fireworks would have gone up. Her heel would have popped. She thought perhaps he felt it as well, they were both breathless afterwards. Once again her doubts came flooding in, had he only done it as a distraction, to keep her from being embarrassed by Jack - as a friend. _He had said he wanted to be with me_. Before she had a moment to begin weighing all the sides they reached the parking garage that Nicole had arranged for them to park at and walk over to the Dolby.

The air had chilled considerably since they left her condo and she was now regretting not wearing nylons as she felt the goosebumps forming on her legs. Her body let out an involuntarily shake, a shiver that Andy immediately picked up on. Without thinking he pulled her in close and rubbed the length of her arm, hoping the friction of the coat and his hand would warm her. Sharon was caught off guard by his sudden closeness, but appreciated the gesture nonetheless. They passed an elderly couple as they made to the ticket box who gave Sharon a large smile and a nod. She looked between them and at that moment, she saw how others were seeing them. _We fit_. There was no denying how comfortable she fit between his arm and body. Their steps were quickly in the same rhythm, swaying at the same pace. It was just like how it had been dancing together - endlessly in sync. She let out a little hum and she felt Andy squeeze her tighter. Warmth began to fill her body and she knew it wasn't just the logistics of what his hands were doing, or the physical closeness of his body. Not that she would ever admit it to _anyone_ , but she had woken up with that familiar warmth before - and throbbing - having dreamed about being with him. Each time she was covered in sweat, her heart was pounding. She lost all ability to sleep afterwards, despite on two occasions allowing herself to finish the job. Both times she caught herself crying out his name as she buried her face into the pillow, admonishing herself afterwards for thinking about him. _I'm a married woman_. It was forever the barrier, if they had been going to see Scrooge tonight she would have seen that large baggage dragging across the stage. After having just seen Jack out with someone else, she knew she should just let go of it and move on. Either file for divorce and date or stop complaining. She knew Jack would never change, she supposed her hang up had always had to do with hope. After twenty years of separation she had long since confronted the gambling and the drinking - but the women…that hurt the worst of them all. Not until tonight had she really realized it, but she began to realize something needed to change. _If he won't, then I must_.

Her thoughtful reverie was broken by a loud excited voice, "Sharon?! Is that you?!"

Still wrapped in Andy's arms she turned to her right _Oh crap_ , "Gavin, hi." She let out through a clenched smile. _Really could this night not get any more awkward?!_ Sharon pulled herself out of Andy's embrace hoping Gavin hadn't noticed that she was standing so closely with someone else - with a man.

"I would have recognized those red heels and long legs anywhere! So what brings you to the ballet?" He leaned in and gave her a kiss on each cheek, but she saw Gavin's eyebrows dance in a "i-saw-that" way that let her know she had been caught.

"Oh um, well, a friend's grandchildren are performing this evening, and er, well we came to watch." She stammered out, hoping that Gavin would leave well enough alone. She was grateful that Andy had continued moving up in the will call line, putting some distance between himself and the interrogation that was coming.

"Well he must be some friend, if you brought out those heels, hun."

"Emily helped pick out the outfit. She's performing as the sugar plum fairy tonight, did you hear? I'm so proud of her, I just wish I could have been there to see it for myself." She was hoping her rambling change of subject would throw Gavin off the hunt.

"I did in fact, I sent her roses to her dressing room."

"Aw that was sweet of you. More than I'm sure her _father_ did tonight."

Gavin immediately caught onto the undercurrent of pain and frustration, "What did the louse do now?"

"Um, well, I nearly ran into him on our, er, my, way over here. He was on a date with someone that looked to be Emily's age."

"Oh hun, I'm so sorry. I know you're not surprised, but I know it still sucks. So when you say nearly, what do you mean by that?"

Sharon moved around anxiously, shoving her hands into her pockets, "Oh, um, we, er, I was at a restaurant with my friend before coming to the ballet and my friend happened to see them in the lobby. They walked right by, but thankfully Jack paid me no notice."

"Well that's good, thank heaven's for small favors. I'm sure a grease fire wouldn't have made him take eyes off his date."

"Uh probably, I don't know I didn't see them." Her eyes darted back towards Andy, making sure he wasn't nearby.

"What do you mean you didn't see them. I thought you said they walked right by your table?"

"Yes, well they did, but my friend uh saw how nervous I was and kept me distracted." This time her eyes darted to the ground.

"Some friend, who is this person - I need to shake their hand and give them my thanks." At that moment Andy walked up to Sharon from behind, "Ah if it isn't Lieutenant Flynn. Fancy meeting you _and_ Sharon here at the ballet tonight." His eyes never left Sharon's twinkling in glee at what he had just happened upon.

"Oh, hi Gavin." Andy said putting his hand out to shake Gavin's.

"So what brings you to the ballet tonight?" He asked of Andy.

"Well my two step grandsons are in a bit of the Nutcracker tonight and my daughter invited me and the rest of my family to come and watch."

"Oh" Gavin let out slowly making the connection and giving Sharon a wink as she rolled her eyes, "I see, helping out a friend" he said to Sharon.

Wanting to put an end to the latest in an never-ending awkward moment Sharon decided it was time to leave Gavin before things spiraled any further and she began admitting things that she shouldn't be saying out loud, let alone thinking. "Well Gavin, it was great seeing you. Let's catch up over lunch - say next week? We really should go in and find our seats." Andy took the cue and put his hand on the small of her back to guide her away.

"Yes, I think a _catch up_ is overdue darling. I'll have my office set it up." He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek goodbye, "Don't let Jack ruin your evening, or your life's happiness any more than he already has."

She looked up at him stunned, his eyes darted between her and Andy as he made his way up to the balcony. _Onto the next uncomfortable and awkward encounter_. This time it was Andy's turn to be called,

"Andrew." The grating voice could only be that of his ex-wife. Flynn bent his neck back and forth letting out a cracking sound as the voice sent an edge throughout his body.

"Felicia." He said turning around, and trying to maintain a pleasant demeanor. "Where's Nicole and Dean?" He asked hoping to keep the subject off anything that would get him riled up.

"Oh they should be right back, they just went back stage to make sure the boys had everything they needed." She paused, "I see you convinced her to come after all. What did he bribe you with this time?" She let out with a laugh clearly directed at Sharon.

Sharon felt Andy's body tense next to hers and responded before he could say something hurtful, "I never need a bribe to spend time with Andy, I'm happy to spend time with him AND I'm excited to get to see the boys' performance tonight!"

Andy looked down at her, ever surprised at her ability to rise above the fray without thinking he leaned in and kissed her on the temple. He felt her facial muscles flinch for just a second, but before he could feel bad about it she looked him in the eyes and gave a reassuring nod. Felicia watched the whole thing unfold, feeling annoyed that she hadn't gotten the rise she was expecting. Before she could continue Andy asked looking around the room, "Where has your _better_ half gone off to this evening?"

"Well, he's holding our seats," she said pointing towards the dressers circle. The bells chimed signaling curtain call in five minutes, thankfully urging people to take their seats and putting a momentary end to any further bickering.

Andy was immensely grateful to his daughter when he looked down at the seats and then the tickets, seeing that she had place he and Sharon on the end of the aisle and his ex on the other side of the group. He couldn't handle watching her sneering glances all night. Sharon squeezed his arm as she too made the revelation. Just before they sat Nicole and Dean finally arrived.

"I'm sorry we couldn't do dinner and didn't have more time to chat before the show, but I'm so glad you could make it," she said giving her dad a hug and Sharon a kiss on the cheek, "Wonderful to see you Sharon." She added with a wink to her dad.

The hall had quieted down as the the curtain came up and the orchestra began playing the Overture. Almost in an instant Andy felt Sharon relax, he turned and saw her getting lost in the music. As the dancers made their way onto the stage he saw her moving her hand in slow movements in her lap - matching the music. There was a smile on her face, but more than that he saw an expression of peace that he had never seen before. It was a new side of her that he was excited to see, to get to know.

They all let out a little clap when the boys came out on stage with the rest of the children dancing at the party. At six and eight the boys were nothing but adorable. When the mouse king arrived on stage Sharon grabbed Andy's arm - she had seen the show nearly a hundred times, but she always found herself startled. Andy patted her hand and took it into his. They sat together holding hands until the lights began to brighten and the curtain fell signaling Intermission. They broke apart to clap with the rest of the audience, both noticing the loss of contact.

Nicole was the first to stand, "Well if you'll excuse me I need to run to the ladies room."

Sharon chimed in, "I think I'll join you. The line is going to be atrocious." Which made them both chuckle while Dean and Andy shook their heads at the notion of women traveling in packs, even to the bathroom.

"I think I'll get something down at the bar, does anyone want anything" Asked Dean.

Felicia was the first to speak up, "A glass of chardonnay if you don't mind."

"Same for me." Replied Nathan, Felicia's second husband.

"Ok, what about you two ladies."

"Maybe just some ginger ale for me." Answered Nicole

"I'm fine. Thanks for the offer." Replied Sharon as she and Nicole left making their way with nearly every other woman in the theater to the restrooms.

"Uh, I think I'll go with you Dean. Give you a hand with those glasses." Andy said jumping up from his seat not looking for any reason to sit near his ex for any longer than absolutely necessary.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the two woman stood in line Sharon felt herself growing restless, she could feel Nicole's gaze and was waiting for the hammer of questions to finally drop.

"Sharon, I'm really glad you came. It is wonderful to see you again, truly."

"Oh, you too Nicole. The boys are doing such a great job. I remember when Emily was their age, it's such a fun time."

"Yeah, they're certainly a handful, but they seem really dedicated to dance. So for now we don't mind the expense of the shuffling around schedules to get them to practice."

Sharon let out a little chuckle remembering the carpool arrangements getting Ricky to lacrosse and Emily to dance, "Never a dull moment being a parent."

Nicole smiled widely and nodded in agreement, "I'm quickly realizing that!"

The line shuffled forward. "So how far along are you?" Sharon asked.

Nicole's eyes grew wide and she gave a look of both surprise and confusion, "What?"

"Nicole, you're absolutely glowing. You have asked Dean for ginger ale and you have to pee worse than someone whose already had two kids," Sharon said pointing at the fact that Nicole had been doing a little shuffle since they got into line, "I'm a detective and a mom."

Nicole bowed her head, "10 weeks. We aren't telling anyone yet, you know just in case. The nausea hasn't been too bad as long as I continue to drink a gallon of ginger ale a day."

"Oh I certainly recall the nausea," she put her hand on the woman's shoulder, "And I respect the desire to wait. I had a miscarriage between Emily and Ricky - it was really hard to go back and tell friends and family." Her voice trailed off.

Nicole pulled her into a hug and began weeping, "Thank you for understanding. I think my mom is going to blow a blood vessel when she finds out, she hates not being in the know." She wiped the tears from her face, "Sorry, this just keeps happening" she pointed at her face.

"Ah the hormones. Poor Dean." She said with a little chuckle.

Nicole's face changed to a look of horror, "You can't tell my dad. If he knows before mom. Oh God!"

Sharon pulled her in, "Don't worry Nicole I won't say anything to your father. Besides I think he might pass out at the idea that his little girl is going to have a baby." She purposefully didn't say going to be a mom, because in her eyes she already was. She had seen and heard first hand how she had taken on raising the boys as her own, this new baby would just add to the family.

"Thank you Sharon. You have no idea what it means to me to know my dad has you in his life. Really and truly, you're such a calming influence and the way his face lights up when I see him with you or when he talks about you in therapy."

Sharon cut her off, "He talks about me in therapy?!"

"Oh sorry, you didn't know about that…Well it's never anything bad. It's just Sharon did this or said this or we went to dinner. Kind of stuff."

"Oh," Sharon immediately felt bad for her momentary outburst, but wasn't going to forget to mention to Andy to leave her out of family therapy in the future.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Andy and Dean stood in line, a line that seemed nearly as long as that for the women's room to gather drinks.

"What's with you tonight, you seem extra fidgety?" Dean asked his father-in-law.

"Ah it's nothing. Sharon and I just had a few awkward run in's before the show. I think it got her a little flustered."

"Really who?"

"Oh we ran into her husband with some lady friend he was on a date with." Andy said as if it was nothing.

"Sharon's married?"

Andy looked up at him not realizing that wasn't common knowledge already, "Er um, yeah. But she's been separated for a long time."

"Oh," so are they like going through some lengthy and messy divorce then?"

"No, not that I'm aware of. I don't think she's ever filed actually."

"So they're not divorced, but they're okay with dating other people?"

"I wouldn't say that I think Sharon was hurt to see him out with someone her daughter's age. I mean it isn't as though she didn't think he wouldn't see anyone else, but still hurts to have it in your face like that."

"Yeah, uh, I could only imagine. But what about you I mean he's okay with you dating her?"

"No, no. Dean I think you've got the wrong idea Sharon and I aren't dating."

"But Nicole said…"

"I know what she said, that was her mother putting crazy ideas in her head after seeing Sharon and I at your wedding. Really, we're just good friends." Andy was trying to set the record straight just as he had promised to do. He figured telling Dean was better than facing Nicole, less questions and angry looks.

"Well I mean the way you two danced together at the wedding, and tonight I mean…I guess I can see how someone could make that leap is all I'm saying."

"I know," he said as they grabbed the drinks and began to walk back to their seats. "I guess I just want it to be true, but there are too many obstacles for it to ever really happen."

Dean stopped them before reaching his mother-in-law, "Andy," he said waiting for the older man to turn and face him, "after having lost Meredith and by some miracle finding Nicole, finding love again. Let me say there is no obstacle that isn't worth overcoming if it means having even one day, one hour of that body filling happiness in your life."

Andy was taken aback by the wisdom, and frankly the honesty coming from his new son-in-law. He nodded in response, feeling speechless and knowing that Sharon and Nicole would be back any minute. He didn't want them or even worse his ex to over hear their conversation.

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"Sharon wait a second," Nicole asked pulling her aside. "I know that you and my dad aren't really an item. I know it was just gossip from my mom."

Sharon looked at her in state of shock, unsure of how to reply.

"You don't have to say anything," Nicole spoke up seeing Sharon's reaction, "just listen. I know that my dad has feelings for you. He hasn't dated anyone in over a year, about the time that all I ever heard on the phone was the name Sharon or _my_ Captain. I admit to wanting to play a little bit of matchmaker, in the spirit of Christmas - or perhaps just all the hormones - I thought maybe with some holiday magic you two might just find a way to one another."

Sharon was about to interrupt when Nicole put her hand up in protest, "I have seen how you look at him. Your eyes are quite telling and when the two of you danced at my wedding it was as though there wasn't another soul in the room. That's not something that you can feel with just anyone, and in my limited, youthful experience" she added with a chuckle, "it is a rarity. I'm sure there are lots of adult reasons why you aren't together, but just think about it."

The bell chimed and intermission was over. Sharon hadn't gotten to respond to anything Nicole said, but found the conversation enlightening. She had no idea that Andy had been single that long or that he talked about her so much to his family. _Maybe it isn't just a lustful conquest he's after_. Andy stood up and let her pass into her seat as the lights dimmed and the curtain went up. Their eyes met briefly before the music began and they felt as though they had an entire conversation in that wordless moment.

As the show carried on Sharon once again found herself lost in the music, with the exception of the occasional glances at Andy she allowed herself to be immersed in the experience of it all. When at last the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies began she leaned into Andy and whispered, "Tonight, that was my little girl on stage." She felt a pang in her chest as she watched the prima ballerina dance, closing her eyes and imagining she was watching her little girl. When the show came to a close everyone got to their feet to give a standing ovation, clapping and cheering as all the dancers came onto the stage to take their bows. Andy turned to her, "When we get out of here let's call Emily." She pulled him into an immediate embrace, overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness unsure if it could be true that she had found someone that truly cared about her, for her, and her life and her kids. The achy feeling she felt in her chest moments ago was now replaced by an unfamiliar feeling. It was warm, but something more than that she felt full.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The boys came bounding out from back stage into Nicole and Dean's arms shouting and cheering over one another that it was hard to pick out specific phrases, but needless to say they enjoyed their evening.

"Grandpa Andy you came!" They shouted as they ran over to him and pulled at his legs for a hug. He bent down to acquiesce, "Of course I did. You both did such a great job, I'm so so proud of you! You remember Sharon?"

The boys looked up at her as she stood behind Andy, trying to be out of the way of the family moment, "Sure we do. Her daughter is a ballerina too! She showed us pictures." They exclaimed as Sharon nodded.

"Well her daughter was also in a little bit of the Nutcracker tonight in New York….As the sugar plum fairy!" Andy told them.

Both boys squealed, knowing exactly what that meant and how important it was, "Wow!"

Nicole gathered the boys things as they all continued to talk. Sharon spotted Dean walking over to her to help, knowing what she knew now she wasn't surprised to see how he was tending to her.

"Well Nicole, should we take the boys out for a treat?" Asked Felicia which made the boys bounce even higher and cheer even more loudly.

Dean responded first, "Actually can we take a rain check? The boys have school tomorrow, and it is way passed their bed time." Sharon noticed the look of appreciation Nicole shared with Dean as he spoke, knowing her mom wouldn't dare argue with Dean about his boys. But Sharon also sensed it was more than that, she could see how tired Nicole was and remembered just how exhausting pregnancy can be - especially in those early weeks.

"OH, ok, I guess we'll see you on Saturday then?"

"Yeah Mom." Nicole leaned in to give her mother a hug goodbye. "Boys, say thank you and goodnight." The boys politely came around and gave everyone a hug and thanked them for coming to see them dance before everyone began to head towards the parking structure. Sharon and Andy were walking a bit slower than the rest of the group, wanting to create a little separation from everyone.

"Thanks again for coming with me tonight Sharon, I hope you enjoyed it."

"I did Andy, the boys did a great job, truly. And your daughter and her new husband are wonderful, you're a very lucky man."

"Don't I know it, it's one of the reasons I will continue working the program, I don't ever want to lose it again."

Sharon hummed, she wished Jack saw and felt the same for his family. Andy sensed the change in her, "Hey why don't you give Emily a quick call while I bring the car around? No sense walking any further in those beautiful, but spiky heels than you have to."

She smiled and looked down at her feet, "Thank you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sharon pulled out her phone, it was almost 1am in New York, but she knew Emily would just be getting home and would probably be too excited to sleep.

"Hello?"

"So how did it go?"

"Mom, it was amazing, it was everything I ever wanted it to be!"

"Oh I'm so happy for you bean!"

"Gavin sent me roses and I got yours too, thank you"

"You're welcome. And I heard…I ran into Gavin tonight."

"I heard about that."

"What? How did you…Oh." Sharon quickly realized that Gavin must have spoken with her during intermission.

"So your _friend_ had his arm wrapped around you while you stood out front of the theater?"

"It was cold." Was all she could think to say in response.

"Uh huh, and you've forgotten how to dress in the cold?"

"Well you are the one who helped me pick out the outfit," she spoke in a slight admonishing tone.

Emily just laughed, "I'm glad you went with the red heels."

Sharon's jaw dropped, she was certainly going to have a conversation with Gavin when they met for lunch next week, "Yes well, enough about me. I want to hear all about you."

"Can I call you back tomorrow night, er, I guess that would be tonight for me? The cast is going out for drinks to celebrate."

"Of course, that's fine. I just wanted to call and say I love you and I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks mom, talk to you soon."

Moments later Andy's car came around front and he climbed out to open her door. "Thank you," she murmured as she slid into the seat.

"So how did it go?" He asked once he got back into the car.

"Oh she said it went really well. I'm so excited for her, this could mean a larger role and contract for next season."

"I'm glad to hear it, I understand a dancer's life isn't an easy one."

She smiled thinking of his compassionate words, "No it isn't. I wish she was local, but NY isn't an opportunity any dancer would pass up."

"I can imagine." They drove in silence for a minute, "I should have you back to your place in a fifteen minutes. It looks like traffic has pretty much thinned out."

Sharon's phone dinged with a text,

 _Emily: I hope you know all I want for you is to be happy mom. If Andy makes you happy then I think you should let him. You don't need to stay with dad for Ricky and I anymore. You deserve to be loved._

Sharon re-read the message several times, finally choosing not to respond. She appreciated her daughter's kind words, but being married to Jack wasn't just about the kids. She knew most people couldn't or didn't want to understand her faith based reasons for not divorcing the man years ago. It wasn't as though it was an easy decision she had come close twice, even had Gavin draw up the papers, but left them unsigned. This wasn't about turning her back on Jack, it was turning her back on her vows, on God. Until she resolved that, she couldn't go through with it. That said, seeing Jack today with another woman made her want to consult Father Rosario on the matter.

For once the quiet silence that had filled the car felt entirely comfortable. Sharon didn't need to turn the radio on, she could still hear the music in her mind. In fact she found herself humming, the Waltz of the Flowers as the navigated through the streets of West Hollywood back to her condo in Los Feliz.

Andy walked her back to her condo when they finally arrived. It took a little longer than they expected due to road construction. It was late and he knew he should head home, he still had a 25 minute drive back to Valencia, but he didn't want the evening to end. While there were a few disastrous moments he thought it had gone mostly well. His mind couldn't stop thinking about the kiss they shared and longed for his lips to be back on hers. To touch her soft skin again. He thought that maybe he had seen a change in her this evening and he didn't want the spell to break.

"Would you like to come in for some tea or cider?" She asked once they reached her door. She hadn't intended to invite him in, but she was finally enjoying herself. It took several hours for her to finally relax, but now that she had she wanted his company.

"Sure," he replied before pausing, "what about Rusty?"

"He's in bed by now. I have a strict 10:30 lights out policy." She said with a smile.

"Of course you do," he said smiling in return.

The condo was dark save for one dim light in the corner of the living room that Rusty usually left on for her if she was going to be out late. She hung up her coat and he did the same as they both moved towards the kitchen, not bothering to turn on any of the other lights. They both seemed to feel that any more light make reality fill the room, and for tonight, for this moment they were okay staying in the dream a little while longer.

"So I have fresh honeycrisp cider or a few different teas," she asked as she rummaged through the cabinet for two coffee mugs.

"I think I'll have the cider, it's been a long time since I had any. Reminds me of cold winters in New Jersey as a kid. My grandma used to make it for Christmas."

Sharon pulled the jug out from the fridge and got a pot from the drawer to begin warming the cider on the stove. She added in two cinnamon sticks and a dash of ginger and turned back to him while waiting for it to paraboil. "Yeah, both my mom and grandmother make it every year. When I have any it reminds me of them too."

Andy moved towards the balcony and looked out at the sky line, "It really is a beautiful view."

"It was one of the things that sold me on this place. I didn't want to sell the house, but college was expensive and to be honest it was too big and lonely. I miss having a backyard, but the view is a nice compromise." She spoke over his shoulder.

He turned back around to face her, "I'm familiar with the big empty house, sometimes I wish I had a smaller place in the city. Not the least of it to cut down on my commute."

They were inches from each other and could feel the space heating up, when Sharon moved away, "I think the cider is ready." She quickly moved back to the kitchen worried that if she remained so close to him she would end up kissing him again.

He followed her to the kitchen and sat up at the bar while she fixed their drinks. "You know I've been thinking about your problem and I had a thought."

"My problem?" Sharon asked, unsure to which of the many problems were swirling in her head that he could possibly be referring to. At the moment the biggest problem she faced was an uncomfortable throb that was becoming hard to ignore.

"Yeah about not seeing your kids for the holidays and Rusty's protective custody situation."

"Oh right, _that_ problem. Don't worry about it Andy, honestly. It isn't the first Christmas I've missed with my kids." They both knew what she was referring to.

"Yeah well. I thought that maybe you could fly out with Ricky and spend two or three days with them in New York and I could watch the kid. Provenza and us can manage the team if something comes up. You know, that way you didn't have to worry so much."

Sharon was once again surprised at the warm and generous nature of this man seated beside her, she hardly knew what to say. Andy pulled out a white envelope from his pocket and handed it to her, "Open it."

She gave him a curious look.

"Open it. Consider it your early Christmas gift." He said with a nod encouraging her to see what was in the envelope.

When she peered in side she found an airline voucher for $500. She looked up at him with tears forming in her eyes, "Andy" she whispered barely getting the air across her vocal cords to make a sound.

He stood up and moved towards her, "I cashed in some of my points and got you the voucher. It should cover the price of a roundtrip ticket to JFK." He spoke as if it wasn't any big deal.

The tears pushed their way over her eye lashes and down her cheeks, she had never known anyone to give such a meaningful gift. Certainly Jack never even attempted anything beyond lingerie or boxes of chocolates. The feeling she had experience at the end of the show came flooding back, once again she felt extremely warm and full. She finally realized the emotion as blessed, but not in the same way she felt towards her children. This was a fluttering almost lightheaded blessed that made her wonder whether gravity was keeping her feet fixed to the ground or not. Andy took advantage of the opportunity and pulled her into a hug. They stood together for several minutes, he was swaying her, almost rocking her a motion that she found immensely soothing.

Finally she pulled away, "Thank you Andy. Truly, this is the sweetest and most generous thing anyone has ever done for me."

He nodded, "You deserve it."

She gave a weepy smile, unconvinced, but nonetheless appreciative.

Andy looked at the clock it was nearly eleven and as much as he wanted to stay he knew he couldn't. Sharon caught his glance and understood. It was time to part. They didn't speak as they walked to the door and he put on his coat. They stood there together for a moment, before Andy leaned in and placed a delicate kiss to her cheek, "You are loved." He whispered into her ear before pulling away. He turned and walked out the door leaving her speechless for the umpteenth time that evening. _I really need to speak to Father Rosario_ she thought as she closed and locked the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Results: Walk 7, Nightcap 9, Cocoa 5

OK So I initially said this would only be 6 chapters, I shockingly have made it and I am actually happy with the ending. So technically this is the end of the story. But I since I've let the readers be involved throughout I am going to give them one last opportunity to have a say in the story - Epilogue or the clips they show at the end of a film.

Reader Participation:

A) Flash forward one week to her lunch with Gavin

B) Flash forward 3 weeks to NYC trip

C) Flash forward 1 year to next Nutcracker outing

Please note that due to the holidays, I won't get this posted until mid-to-late next week. Then it's back to my other two stories that I've been throughly neglecting.


	7. Chapter 7

**CH 7 :: Coda**

"Sharon, Rusty! We've gotta go or we're going to miss our flight." Cried out Andy from the entry way of the condo, carry-on in hand.

"Andy we have plenty of time, the flight doesn't leave for another three hours." Sharon hollered out from the bedroom.

Rusty turned the corner with the new coat Sharon bought him for the trip and the plaid suitcase that was in his closet. She was going to get him a new one as well, but Rusty objected. He didn't often go anywhere and didn't think she needed to invest in a whole new set of suitcases just because they were going on a trip together. He saw Andy pacing by the front door and smirked, he found it surprising that on this one thing the two of them flip-flopped. The normally punctual Sharon, had no qualms about cutting it close on flights. She abhorred wasting time in the terminal. Whereas Andy on the other hand had experienced too many gate changes and other flight issues to make him feel comfortable in only having 15 minutes to spare.

"Sharon, c'mon you're going to give Andy a stroke out here the way he's pacing." Rusty shouted in an attempt to lighten the mood in his own brand of sarcasm.

"Ok, I'm coming. Here Rusty can you take the garment bag - it has both of your suits and my dress so please don't drop it." Sharon handed him the bag and returned to the bedroom for her carry-on bag and small tote bag. "Ok I'm ready."

"Finally," replied Andy as he opened the door and gestured for everyone to step out. He gave a quick look around making sure everything was turned off and the heater was turned to low. He pulled the door closed behind him and returned the keys to his pocket as he locked the door and headed towards the elevators. "The cab is waiting for us downstairs. Nicole and crew will meet us at the hotel." Sharon nodded in response as they rode down together. She moved closer to Andy and wrapped an arm around his and smiled. It was rare that she took a vacation at all, and even more uncommon for her and Andy to be going somewhere together. It wasn't easy for the two of them to get the time off, but Andy had called in a favor to Robby Ordarno from missing persons to fill in for him and Provenza was going to be staying in town with Patrice, so it all fell into place. Taylor wouldn't approve the whole week off, but they decided that taking a long weekend would be sufficient enough - well better than nothing was actually what Andy said and Sharon tended to agree. As she often told Rusty, focus on the positive.

30 minutes later they arrived at Terminal 7 at LAX. "Geez, will you look at those lines." Rusty said sarcastically knowing that Andy was worried they'd be out the door. Sharon couldn't hold in the laughter.

"To be fair it's an early flight, we just got here before the crowds." She said with a smile trying to placate a nervous Andy.

"Yeah, Yeah. You can both shut it. We got lucky is all. It's the holidays and LAX is always awful, so let's just get through security and find some breakfast." Andy ushered the pair inside and shook his head, he knew he wouldn't hear the end of it from Sharon now that they had an extra hour to do nothing but pace the halls of the airport.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Welcome to the Big City Rusty." Andy said as the cab navigated them through the streets of New York to their hotel. Rusty had never been out of California let alone on an airplane. This trip was going to be full of firsts for the Kid and both he and Sharon were keen to make sure he got the most from the experience.

"I kinda figured it'd be just like LA, but it's totally different. The buildings are so much bigger and everything is really crammed in here." Replied Rusty as his face was practically plastered to the glass window.

Sharon gave a smile, she wasn't sure about taking this trip initially but Andy kept pushing for it. He actually did most of the leg work, coordinating with Nicole, make flight and hotel arrangements, all of it. "So Rusty, we have two days before we have to fly back. Anything in particular you want to see?" She asked.

"Well in my US History class we learned a little about Ellis Island, so that could be kinda cool to check out. Oh and Kris said I have to see the view from the top of Empire State building. Something about Seattle and it being amazing. I didn't really get what she was saying." Rusty replied still staring out the window.

Sharon turned to Andy and smiled, she found it funny how he often missed out on pop culture references, "I think she is referring to the movie Sleepless in Seattle. The Empire State Building plays a key role. But yes we can take a ride up, the view is certainly breath taking."

Andy squeezed her hand, he thought it was also a pretty romantic spot and wouldn't mind take a visit either. "You know we also should be sure to take a walk through Central Park."

"Oh yes, definitely." Replied Sharon, "Well Emily's show isn't until Saturday night, so we have all day tomorrow to explore the city."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The following morning Sharon and Andy woke up to the sound of knocking at their door. They had agreed to put Rusty in the same room as Michael and Ben, allowing the adults to have sometime to themselves.

"How much do you want to bet that it's the boys wanting to come in and walk us up, so we can head to the museum?" Andy turned to Sharon and asked as he brushed the hair behind her ear.

Sharon was not a morning person, despite the fact that she rose early she didn't quickly get with the program. She preferred to have some quiet time as she woke up, and as much as she loved the boys she wasn't keen having them jumping up and down on the bed. "Probably. If we stay really quiet maybe they'll go away." She muttered, causing Andy to smile.

Andy was reluctant to pull himself out of bed and away from Sharon. He enjoyed the time they spent cuddling together in the morning, as he waited for her to come to life. He was also hoping that the boys would be busy pestering Rusty or their parents in the morning, that he and Sharon might have time to get some extra-curricular activities in before the long day out with the family.

There was another knock at the door. Sharon groaned and Andy got up to open the door. He pulled on his robe and checked through the peep hole - surprised at what was on the other side of the door. He opened it and let in the room service.

"You can set it right there," Andy said gesturing towards the coffee table next to the sofa in their suite. The man nodded and set the two trays, coffee, and juice out on the table and then handed Andy a note before backing out of the room.

 _Enjoy a quiet morning to yourselves. Dean and I are taking Rusty and the boys to the Natural History Museum. Catch up with us this afternoon, I know Sharon wanted to go to the MET together._

 _Love,_

 _Nicole._

By now Sharon realized there weren't screaming jumping children in the room, and smelled the delicious scent of coffee wafting through the suite. "What's all this?" She asked.

"Well, it would seem that Nicole wanted us to have some time together. She arranged for us to have breakfast and take the boys out this morning. We're to meet up later." He said handing her the note.

"Aw, well wasn't that sweet of her, but she certainly didn't need to do that." Sharon said as she pulled her self up along with a sheet to cover her bare chest.

"Yes, well I for one won't be ungrateful for having a chance to spend sometime alone with you." Andy said crawling up onto the bed with her, kissing her bare shoulders.

She let out a little hum as he continued across her collar bones and down to the tops of her breasts. "Well I think we should take advantage of the food while it's still hot, and then perhaps return to other activities" She didn't really want him to stop what he was doing, but would feel bad if the food went to waste.

"OK, but I'm going to hold you to that." Andy returned to the coffee table and brought over the two plates, "Your breakfast m'dear."

Sharon turned on some music and they enjoyed their breakfast in bed together. When they were done, she curled up into his shoulder as they drank their coffee. "What a wonderful way to wake up." She said.

Andy reached out and took her mug from her hand and set them both down on the night stand, "Wonderful indeed, but I wonder if it can be improved upon at all." He said suggestively as he lifted up the sheets and slid down underneath. Sharon drifted down with him until she was flat on her back and he was laying in between her legs. He laid soft kisses across her abdomen as his hands drifted further down causing her to shutter. When they made love for the first time three months ago she found herself pleasantly surprised with his level of attentiveness. She certainly expected him to be passionate and she was more than attracted to him, but how he managed to balance the gentleness with the animalistic was always a wonder. They had waited to become intimate, to take their relationship to that stage until her divorce was finalized. It wasn't that she was such a prude that she couldn't sleep with a man before then, but this was different it wasn't a fling this was for all the marbles. She knew that being intimate with Andy was more than just sex - they had a level of emotional intimacy that was filled with love. She couldn't in good conscience sleep with him, open that chapter of her life until the other one had closed. She had come over to tell him she had filled the papers for divorce, that she was ready to part with her past. Sharon worried of course that Andy might not understand that, might not want to wait - he was after all a man and they'd been toying around with their physical connection for awhile. But once again he surprised her, he was more than willing to wait. It was then that she knew she loved him - it was that night that he told her he would wait until eternity for her that she finally muttered the words "I love you" to him. He had said them in various forms to her before, never expecting her to respond - knowing she would with time. She nearly let herself be overcome with emotions and take that plunge with him that night, but to Andy's credit he put a stop to things, "When it's finalized we will have a proper celebration." He had told her and gave her a passionate kiss before sending her home.

Now she found herself feeling like a twenty-year old all over again, she couldn't get enough of him or vice versa. On more than one occasion Rusty came home and nearly caught them in a state of disarray on the couch. After which they implemented a new text rule, to avoid any mutual awkwardness.

As Andy continued his ministrations, she found herself getting closer and closer to the edge. She didn't use to think that anyone but her vibrator would be able to make her come more than once. With Jack sex had always been about him, and she didn't always get to finish. She had learned to hurry up with him. While she on occasion hurried with Andy it was for an entirely different reason, too passionate with one another that sometimes they didn't always make it out of all their clothes. But often times Andy brought her to a slow burn, helping her come with his tongue or fingers or both. Taking the edge off before he would take her.

She began thrashing about on the bed as her orgasm consumed every part of her body. When she began to come down Andy pulled himself up to her and planted a kiss on her jaw. She saw the smile across his face, knowing that helping her this way brought him such joy. "Andy, I want you." She said grabbing his lower lip with his teeth, causing him to let out a groan. "Say it again" he growled back. "Andy, I want you." He plunged into her and she let out a guttural moan in response. "You have me," he replied nibbling on her ear lobe as he began to move.

They both collapsed onto the bed, breathing heavily. "I will never, ever get tired of that." Andy whispered in her ear causing her to smile.

"Hmm, good to know. So when do you think you'll be ready for round two?" She asked seductively sitting up with her bare back turned to him.

"Woman, you're going to kill me." He responded as she rose and walked towards the large shower, she turned around fully nude, "Ah but what a way to go." She replied and turned back around.

Andy knew it would be a little while before he would be ready, he silently cursed old age. Sharon had more stamina then many younger women he had been with, and he wished he could keep up. On the flip side he was able to last a lot longer then when he was in his twenties. Even if _he_ couldn't help her, he knew other ways of satisfying her in the mean time. He pulled himself up and followed her into the shower.

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"She said she would meet us here in the lobby at 1:30, so let's just wait a few more minutes before we call." Andy suggested as they stood inside the main floor of the Metropolitan Art Museum.

"I'm sure dealing with the boys is a lot like herding cats," she said with a chuckle.

A few minutes later Andy caught sight of Nicole and Dean walking up the steps, "There they are."

Sharon pulled him into a hug, as Andy gestured them all back inside the museum. "Shall we?" He asked.

Nicole's boys waited patiently for Sharon to let go of Ricky before rushing over to grab her hands, "Grandma Sharon, are you excited?" They asked.

She smiled, she hadn't asked the boys to call her grandma and in fact she was initially worried by the term of endearment - not knowing exactly where things were going with Andy, but she finally gave in. "I am excited. I have both of you and Rusty. And tonight we get to see Em dance!"

"We know!" They both shouted and started jumping up and down pulling her arms with them.

"Let's not rip Sharon's arms off boys," Nicole asked as she grabbed ahold of her youngest. "Remember this is a museum and we can look but we can't touch." She continued, the boys were pretty well-behaved but with all the excitement she was a bit worried they might bump into some priceless Ming vase.

Rusty hung back with Sharon and Nicole as they managed to navigate the boys safely through the museum.

"So when do you head up to Boston?" Andy asked Dean as they followed behind the group.

"On Tuesday, we're going to take the boys to see the musical Wicked before we take the train up to my parents for Christmas." Dean replied.

Andy gave a chuckle, "Hmm. I really should take Sharon to see Wicked when it comes to LA. I think she'll find a sense of compassion with the lead."

Dean gave him a quizzical look and before Andy could respond, Sharon jumped in overhearing the conversation, "Haven't you heard I'm the Wicked Witch." She said it with a grin, so Dean knew she was okay with this, but still found it odd, "It's a long story."

The group enjoyed walking through the museum and the boys particularly loved finding the kids zone where they were allowed to get their hands dirty, while the adults sat and drank coffee watching the chaos. "I'm really glad you pushed us to come do this," Sharon whispered to Andy as she leaned into him. He pulled her closer and wrapped an arm around her, "Me too."

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"Hurry up, we're going to be late!" Yelled Andy as he looked at his watch for the umpteenth time in the last five minutes.

Andy and Rusty stood together next to the sofa dressed in their suits, coats in hand. Andy was feeling anxious as usual about getting to the event on time, when the kids were involved he always wanted to be early - proof that he was committed to them, even Sharon's. He was about to yell for her when he heard the familiar click of her heels coming out of the bathroom. As he looked up from his watch he caught his first glimpse of her - he knew she had picked out a new dress for the occasion but hadn't given him any hints besides "navy" to work from. Her hair was pulled together in a french knot exposing her beautiful neck. The dress was floor length, but strapless. As she walked towards them he thought she was gliding across the floor as the chiffon skirt moved with her. She looked like she should be dancing at a Presidential dinner instead of coming out with him and his family.

"Sharon, you look…" Before Andy could finish his thought Rusty piped in with a "wow!"

Her cheeks blushed as her boys stared at her, "I take it I clean up well?" She asked jokingly.

"Um, more than well." Replied Andy as he moved towards her and placed a kiss behind her ear.

"Worth the wait?" She asked him softly.

"Definitely. Always." He said as he pulled her coat around her, disappointed to be covering up her shoulders.

"So Sharon, this is like a musical or something?" Rusty asked from the front seat of cab as they left the hotel.

Andy chuckled as Sharon turned around to respond, "Well, not exactly. It does have music and there will be dancing of course, but there's no speaking. It's a ballet not a play."

"Oh, so like how will we know what's going on then?" Rusty was still feeling confused about what they were going to be seeing. His childhood never included anything on the sophisticated side of Christmas musings. Had there been more family around it would have been something more akin to the chaos of Christmas Vacation.

"From the music and the dancing, you can tell a whole story without having words Rusty." Sharon looked across the seat towards Andy as he looked at her. Rusty let out a chuckle, "Yeah like how you two are _always_ talking without talking."

The three continued chatting about the "story" behind the Nutcracker as Andy made his way to the restaurant. He continued checking his watch, he didn't want to be late. There was a surprise waiting for Sharon and it was taking every ounce of patience he had to not blurt it out. He had no idea how he and Rusty had managed to hide it from her, but it seemed they had succeeded.

They walked into restaurant, "Reservation under Flynn."

"Ah yes, everyone else has already checked in. Let me walk you to the private room we've reserved for you." The hostess grabbed the menus and gestured for the trio to follow her towards the back of the restaurant.

She slid open the glass door and moved aside to let them pass. Dean, Nicole, and the boys were seated facing them. The man had his back facing the door stood up and as they turned around Sharon let out an excited squeal, "You're here?!"

Ricky smiled, "Yep!" She rushed towards him and pulled him into a big hug.

"But how? When?" She started in with her questioning and turned to Andy and Rusty who were hanging back behind her, "Did you know?" They nodded. "But I thought you were strapped with work?"

She released him from the hug, but held onto him as he spoke, "I was, well I still am. I'm just here for the night. I have to fly back in the morning, but I didn't want to miss this. Everyone out here to see Emily perform."

Andy pulled out her chair, "Oh, I'm so glad you came!" She squealed again before taking a seat next to him. Andy sat down on her other side.

"Sharon, your dress is amazing. You look stunning." Nicole said.

"Oh thank you. I probably shouldn't have, but you know how Gavin can be." They both laughed. Nicole had come shopping with her and Gavin a few times since she and her dad had made things official.

"You boys look so handsome in your suits." Sharon said to Michael and Ben who were engaging in conversation with Rusty and their dad. "Just like grandpa." She said with a smile, placing a kiss on Andy's beaming cheek.

Michael pushed his jacket to the side, "Yeah, we even have the suspenders!" Causing the whole table to erupt into laughter.

Dinner passed by all too quickly, with pleasant conversation filled with laughter and stories. The group left the restaurant and headed to the theater where Emily and the American Ballet Company would be performing The Nutcracker. Tonight she would be reprising her role as the Sugar Plum Fairy. As they made their way to the theater Andy stopped by a florist to pick up a bouquet of roses to present to her at the end of the performance.

Thanks to Emily, they were able to get some amazing seats in a box off the orchestra where they could sit and watch as a group. As the lights fell and the curtain rose Sharon saw the boys pull themselves up to the edge of the balcony eager to watch. Andy grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze as the orchestra began to play the overture. Sharon always got nervous watching her daughter perform, and tonight was no different. But having Andy's company was a welcome change from all the auditions, rehearsals, and performances that she had got to alone. She smiled at him, this man that was spending time with her and her family, happy to treat hers as his own. She truly loved him. The dancing began and she allowed herself to get swept up. Unlike last year she didn't feel the anxiety of the night boiling over, the uncertainty and awkwardness of unspoken feelings and desires. Tonight she knew exactly how she felt and there wasn't a qualm of worry about she and Andy - without even realizing it they had become a _we_.

Andy watched Sharon watching the ballet, he loved how engrossed she could get in the whole thing. He enjoyed it too, but for her it was so much more than just a ballet. He put his other hand into his pocket and felt the cool metal against his fingers as he spun it around. For once, he knew exactly where he should be and what he should be doing. There wasn't a notion of doubt in his body, the woman seated beside him loved him as much as he loved her. He was worried about how she might take him asking her, after all she just got out of one marriage. But he was going to make sure she knew that he could wait, no matter how long it took. He just wanted her to know, symbolically that she meant the world to him.

Intermission came and the lights brightened. Sharon turned to Rusty, "So what do you think?"

"Better than I was expecting," he said. "The music is really good. When does Emily come on?"

"She's the very last act, you'll know when you see her." Sharon responded.

The group stood up and stretched their legs. Nicole took the boys to the bathroom while Andy fetched them drinks. Leaving Sharon to enjoy a few moments with her two boys.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?" Sharon asked Ricky.

"Oh I'm on the 11:30 flight, so I'll have time to have breakfast with everyone before I head out." He replied.

Sharon smiled, it wasn't nearly enough time but she'd take whatever time she could get with her children.

Everyone made their way back as the chimes rang out and the lights began to dim. As the performance continued, Sharon let out a small excited squeal when she saw Emily come out in her prima ballerina Sugar Plum Fairy costume. She looked beautiful and danced with such poise and elegance, Sharon couldn't help but cry from the overwhelming feeling of pride and joy.

When the show finally concluded, Sharon guided the group towards the stage where Emily was waiting to take them back. The boys were officially going bat shit crazy from the excitement of seeing a _real_ ballet and knowing the prima ballerina AND going back stages. "You know Nicole, I'm not sure how you're going to get them to go down tonight?" Andy muttered as he observed the boys.

Emily came out and gave a big hug to her mother and brother, while Andy handed her the flowers. "Thank you," she replied, "And thank you all for coming. It's so wonderful to have some familiar faces out there."

Emily guided them back stage as the sets were being cleared away and dancers were changing. "My dressing room is just down the hall." She opened the door letting them all come in, it wasn't a big space but enough for them to have a few moments of family time. The boys excitedly talked to Emily while everyone looked on. Eventually, Nicole and Dean decided it was time for them to head back to the hotel, much to the boys disappointment. Ricky and Rusty decided to turn in as well, giving excuses about the boys keeping them up and having the short turnaround travel. Sharon and Andy sat with Emily for awhile longer, he didn't want her to feel rushed since she didn't often get to spend time with her daughter.

"I'm so proud of you honey, you were beautiful." Sharon said pulling her into another hug.

"Thanks mom. I'm glad you were able to make it out here. And Andy thank you for getting her here." Emily said giving him a pat.

"Well you know how hard it can be to get your mom out the door," he said with a smirk as Sharon playfully swatted his arm.

"I know you need to change and get all this make-up off, will we see you tomorrow?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah, I don't dance tomorrow, so we will have all day together. I think Ricky mentioned something about getting together for breakfast before he flies out." Emily replied.

"Oh that would be wonderful. You pick the place and we'll meet you." Sharon said excitedly, looking forward to spending a few hours with all three of her kids.

She and Andy stood up and gave Emily another round of hugs before heading out of the theater. They climbed into the cab and Sharon noticed they were going in the wrong direction, "Excuse me, I think the hotel is downtown." She said to the cab driver.

He replied, "No central park is this way."

Sharon gave a quizzical look to Andy, "Why are we going there?"

"Hmm, something to do." He said with a mischievous grin on his face. A few minutes later they pulled up to the curb near a line of horse drawn carriages. Andy took hold of Sharon's hand and led her over to one of the carriages, "After you." He said helping her climb into the buggy. He pulled the blanket over their laps and they began to trot off into the park. Sharon looked at Andy not sure what to say, he was always doing such romantic things that caught her by surprise - this was just another thing in a long line of things he had done for her over the last year. She snuggled up to him, pulling her coat around her as he wrapped an arm around her pulling her close. They both looked up and noticed snow beginning to fall. "Andy did you put in a request for the snow?" She asked softly with a smile.

"Of course, for you I pull out all the stops." He smiled in return and placed a kiss to her cheek.

The carriage continued through the park until it reached a fountain and cafe that was open selling hot beverages. The carriage stopped and they stepped out. Andy ordered them hot cider and roasted hazelnuts and returned to where Sharon was standing by the fountain. It was lit up in a brilliant blue/white light. The snow was beginning to stick to the cool concrete. She turned around and saw Andy walking back towards her. She lifted the cup to her face and felt the steam come off the top, "This is lovely Andy, thank you."

"You're welcome Sharon. It makes me happy to see you so happy." He said setting his bag of hazelnuts and cider down.

"You make me happy Andy. All of this is wonderful, but just being with you makes me happier than you could ever imagine." She said leaning up and kissing him.

Andy removed a glove and placed his hand in his pocket feeling for the cool metal band, he pulled it out and took her hand. As much as his knees protested he kneeled before her causing her to gasp at the realization of what was happening.

"Sharon O'Dwyer Raydor. You are the loveliest, most beautiful, and yet frustrating woman I've ever met. You're my match, my equal and I'm truly blessed to have you in my life. I didn't know pure happiness until you let me into your life. I will wait for you until eternity, just as long as you don't leave my side. Please say you'll be by my side."

Tears began running down Sharon's face, she didn't know what to say. She certainly wasn't expecting a proposal, nor was she entirely sure she was ready for one.

Andy sensed her hesitation, "Read the inside," he asked as he handed her the ring to inspect.

 _I'll always wait for you_ read the inscription inside the platinum band. It was a simple band with a single diamond embedded. He knew she didn't wear much jewelry and on the job it could be dangerous. This was simple and not ostentatious. _It's perfect_ she thought to herself as she held it in her hand.

She pulled him up, knowing that his knee must be killing him and pulled him in for a kiss. Andy wasn't sure what that meant, "Is that a yes?" He asked.

She looked down at their hands holding the ring, and nodded. "I'm not ready, but I am committed…if you can wait for me?"

He lifted her chin and kissed her nose and repeated what the ring said, "I'll aways wait for you. As long as it takes, I'm here to stay."

"Thank you" She kissed him again as he wrapped his arms around her.

"You don't have to wear the ring now, you can wait until you're ready." He said, not wanting her to feel pressured.

"How about I wear it on my right hand and when it's time we can move it over?" She asked hesitantly hoping that he would accept the compromise. She really did want to wear it, to make and show him that promise.

"I think that's perfect," he said. He grabbed their cider and hazelnuts and walked them back to the carriage.

"I love you," Sharon said once they were seated together. She looked at the ring on her finger and he lifted her hand a placed a kiss, "I love you too." He replied.

The carriage disappeared into the park as the snow continued to lightly fall in the city. The pair snuggled up beside one another filled with the joy that they had their families and one another this holiday season. Tomorrow would be another crazy day, but tonight for a little while longer would be just their's to enjoy.

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AN: Well I said they would be going back to the Nutcracker but I didn't say where haha! I hope you all enjoyed this little holiday ditty. I blame it on too many hallmark channel movies. I also hope you enjoyed participating in aspects of the story, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts as I might be willing to give that another try in the future.

This is the end of this story, but do keep an eye out for updates to Syncopate and Tonight - which should be coming to a conclusion soon.


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